Forgotten Duties, the Original Version
by Yondaime-samaKazaraYume
Summary: What if there were six demons that attacked Konoha? How would this scenario play out? What if Yondaime actually survived? Come and see! Pairings: NaruHina, SasuSaku, HakuIno. Officially discontinued as of 6 Nov, 2006. Rewrite coming soon.
1. The Beginning

Hey everyone! My pen name is Yondaime-sama Kazara Yume, but I go by Yume. Anyway, this is a fic about Naruto. I guess you'd call it AU, because I change a lot… ; Anyway, This fic will be rated PG for the occasional exclamation, but other than that, enjoy! Oh, I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto-sensei does. If I DID own it… well, let's just say I wouldn't be here right now…

The aide ran down the hallway as fast as he could. Yondaime _had_ to know about this. It wasn't GOOD news, but it wasn't bad either… he burst open the door to the Hokage's office.

"Yondaime-sama!" The man in the office turned to look at him. His crystal blue eyes made no attempt to hold back the sorrow he felt. "I am truly sorry about your wife, Hokage-sama, but this is important!"

"Kazekage has sealed Shukaku, the demon tanuki, into his unborn son, correct?" The aide merely gaped at the leader of Konoha.

"But… but sir, how did you know?"

"Easy. There are only six demonic signals approaching, not seven." He turned, and looked past the aide. "Leave us. Hiashi-san and I have an important matter to discuss." The aide bowed, and exited the room. "Been a while, eh Hiashi?" The leader of the Hyuga Main family looked at his lifelong friend with disbelief. Gone were the laughing, crystal-blue eyes, and the cock-sure smile. Kazara Yume had lost too much this night, and the village was going to lose much more.

"Yume, I know you need six vessels for your crazy plan to work." Yume sighed, and looked at his old friend.

"You heard? It's impossible though… even if there _were_ six infants of age, their parents would never…" He trailed off as the door opened once more.

"Greetings, Hokage-sama." Yume raised his eyebrow at the bloodstained shinobi standing before him.

"You're from the Mist Village. What do you need?" The mist-nin silently walked forward and put a sniffling infant on his desk

"It was the last wish of our squad leaders, the Hana, that you use their son as one of the vessels. They requested you seal Tsume, the demon bear in him. His name is Haku." The eyes of the Hokage immediately softened as he saw the infant.

'Such a cruel hand fate has dealt you, little one.' Yume thought silently. "I will fulfill their wishes." The mist-nin bowed and vanished in a swirl of mist. Yume sighed deeply. "There's one child."

"Not so, my old friend. Several families have given their children. The Haruno clan has given you their newborn daughter, Sakura, to use. The Uchihas have given you their week-old son, Sasuke. And I…" Hiashi withdrew the sleeping infant from under his cloak. "I give you my daughter, Hinata."

"Hiashi… You don't have to-"

"Yes I do. I already know you plan on using your own son, so that leaves us one vessel short." Hiashi gave a long and searching look to his best friend. "I know what you're plotting up there, numbskull. I'll look after the children as much as I can without raising suspicions." Yume met his gaze, and his eyes held profound gratitude.

"Yume-sensei?" Yume looked at the thirteen-year old Jounin in front of him, and smiled.

"Thank you for coming, Kakashi-kun. I see you brought Naruto-chan as I asked. I need you to help me carry these children to Gamabunta. Look at these children well, Kakashi, because these are the saviors of Konoha, even of the world." Yume tenderly gathered two children in each arm, and Kakashi carried Naruto. After a short dash, they arrived on the head of Gamabunta.

**"OY! YOU SURE TOOK YOUR SWEET TIME, DIDN'T YOU, YUME!?"**

"Sorry, 'Bunta." He said as he laid the children in a five-point star around him. "This'll be the last time you see me for a spell." He turned his focus to the demons that were swatting down shinobi from every country… 'Well, almost every country!' he thought with a smirk as he noticed the distinct lack of Sand-nin. 'I guess they thought they did their little duty, using a forbidden and evil seal on an unborn child and his poor mother!' He shook his head to clear his mind. He needed to focus to make the seal work.

**"HEY GUYS! LOOK, HOKAGE-CHAN CAME TO PLAY AT LAST!!"** Tsume cried.

**"OOOH, HE _IS_ CUTE!!"** Hane, the demon eagle shrieked. **"I COULD JUST EAT HIM UP!!"**

**"HEY! WE ALL AGREED KYUBI GETS FIRST TASTE!"** Kageryu, demon dragon bellowed.

**"SO ALL WE GET ARE THE FREAKIN' LEFTOVERS!?"** yelled Urufu, the demon wolf. **"THAT'S CRAP!!"**

**"SHUT IT, WHINEY!"** Same, the demon shark, voiced from the river. **"I DON'T WANNA HEAR YOU WHININ'! YOU AIN'T THE ONE STUCK IN THIS PIDDLY LITTLE RIVER!!"**

**_"WOULD ALL OF YOU PLEASE SHUT YOUR TRAPS!?"_** Kyubi screamed.

Fighting the urge to sweatdrop, Yume gathered his chakra and encased all of the demons in it. "Uchiha Sasuke. I charge you with Kageryu." The evil dragon screamed as he was changed into raw power and banished into young Sasuke's body. Sasuke seemed determined not to cry out, but big, wet tears streamed down his face.

"Haruno Sakura. I entrust you to hold Hane. Please forgive me." The eagle shrieked indignantly as she was sealed in the same fashion as her partner. Sakura started crying, and while wailing her tiny arms around, he grasped hands with the tiny Sasuke.

"Hana Haku. I fulfill your parent's desire and seal within you Tsume." The bear let out a roar of pure rage as he was banished from this plane. Haku began crying inconsolably, and extended his arms toward the battlefield where his parents lay dying. Blinking back the spots from his eyes, Yume moved on to the next child.

"Hyuga Hinata, I hereby seal Same in you. May your father keep you safe." The river rushed in to fill the space taken by the demon, and Hinata began to silently sniffle. She curled up, and started whimpering. Yume blinked back the darkness fighting to consume his vision. 'Forgive me, my son.'

"Uzumaki Naruto, I entrust you with the worst demon of them all, Kyubi." The fox demon began cursing vehemently, and didn't stop until he was sealed. Immediately, Naruto began wailing much louder than any infant could possibly cry.

**"GREAT KAMI, THAT BOY HAS YOUR LUNGS, YUME!"** Gamabunta said with a chuckle. Fighting his eyes open, Yume realized at the worst possible time, he had run out of both vessels… and his Chakra.

"Kuso. What do I do now… I am the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha… I refuse to fail my people… I have come this far… _and I **will not stop now!!**_" Digging deeper, Yume found more chakra then he ever could have imagined. The air around his body crackled with raw power. He changed Urufu into raw power, and took a deep breath. "Mission… accomplished." And with that, he slammed the fist into his own stomach, sealing the final demon inside himself. As all feeling and senses slipped from his body, one final thought flashed through his mind… 'Natsumi-chan… I… did it…'

Evil, I know! Cliffhangers… Gotta love 'em! Anyway, Please R&R, I welcome any reviews and/or flames. I don't know when I'll update again, but see you then!


	2. Reflections and Realizations

Hey guys! Yume here again. I'm out of school right now, so I thought I'd go ahead and spit out another chapter. Thanks to all of you who reviewed, and I'll respond to the signed reviewers at the end of this chapter. And before anyone asks, this is strictly NOT YAOI!! The pairings will eventually be NaruHina, SasuSaku, HakuOC (Still not sure on Haku yet ;).

I STILL don't own Naruto or it's characters, but I DO own Kazara Yume, Tsume, Hane, Kageryu, Same, and Urufu.

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A man with spiky blonde hair and clear blue eyes sprinted down the hospital hallway, clearly trying to get somewhere in a hurry. He burst open the door to a room, and was instantly at the bedside of a small, frail, woman with pale blonde hair.

_"Natsumi-chan!__ Are you alright?" The Hokage asked her. _

_"Go… Gomen, Yume-kun… I… Can't stay and raise him… with you..." the woman struggled to say, her body covered in sweat, blood trickling from her mouth._

_"What do you mean?" His voice held a note of fear. "Of course you're raising him with me. I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you." One of the hospital orderlies approached him nervously._

_"Hokage-sama… Your wife has lost too much blood during delivery… She's… Not going to make it sir…" Yume's eyes widened in shock._

_"No… this can't be happening…" Ignoring all hospital rules, he took his dying wife in his arms. "You can't leave me, Natsumi-chan… I need you!" He made no attempt to hold back the tears which were coursing down his face._

_"Yume-kun… promise me… that you will make him… a hero… Use him to-" The woman had to stop talking as a coughing fit overcame her. Once she had stopped coughing blood, she looked up at him with already foggy eyes. "Use him to… seal the demon fox… He'll be a hero…"_

_"I… I will, Natsumi-chan. I give you my word." And with that, Kazara Natsumi, wife of Kazara Yume, Yondime Hokage of Konoha, slipped from this world. At the same time, a blond-haired newborn baby boy started wailing in the maternity ward._

"AAAGH!!!" Uzumaki Naruto awoke with a start. Panting heavily, he quickly looked around his apartment. 'Nobody's here… I'm safe… It was just a dream.' As he stretched to get out of bed, footsteps rushed to his bedroom door.

"Naruto-san! What's wrong!?" Haku asked as he burst through the door. Naruto smiled as he saw the worried expression on his best friend's face.

"Nothing, Haku. I just had that stupid dream again." Naruto assured the boy as he prepared to get in the shower. "'Sides, it's nothin' a hot shower won't cure!" Giving his trademark foxy grin, Naruto ducked into the bathroom. "We'd better get to the academy as fast as we can after this. Iruka-sensei's gonna tell us who our Jounin senseis are today."

"Hai, Naruto-san." Haku smiled as he finished packing their lunches, his mind wandering back to the fateful day that they met each other.

FLASHBACK

Six-year-old Naruto was walking home from the academy. 'I can't believe I failed again… Why can't I even do the basics?' As he shuffled towards his home, he heard something new on the familiar road.

"Please, sir, could you spare some food? Even a little morsel?" asked a young boy, around Naruto's own age, who was chained to a fence with a collar around his neck.

"Don't touch me, you gutter trash!" the man replied, kicking the boy swiftly in the ribs. The man walked on, as if this happened every day. The boy dragged himself to a sitting position, and wiped the tears from his eyes. He kept trying everyone who passed him, but he could only go so far because of the collar.

"Hey!" Naruto greeted him as he walked up. "Why are you chained here?" The boy looked at him with a mixture of confusion and awe. "I don't know why you are, but here, you don't need to be." Naruto grabbed the collar around the boy's neck and started to try to break it. "Stupid… thing…" Naruto muttered as it wouldn't even budge.

"I've tried that…" The boy quietly said. Naruto let out something like a low growl, and the collar tore like wet tissue paper.

"There! That's better! Why don't you come stay with me for a little while? What's your name, anyway? You sure don't talk much. My name's Naruto, and I'm gonna be the next Hokage!"  The boy's eyes widened at his confidence.

"My name is Haku, Naruto-san. Thank you for saving me."

END FLASHBACK

Haku smiled. That was the first time anyone was nice to him. In return for his freedom, Haku had been following Naruto-san loyally since then. Naruto-san had told him that he didn't need to follow him like that, but Haku had insisted.

"OY! HAKU!? ANYONE HOME!!??" Naruto yelled, sending Haku's heart speeding in no time.

"Don't scare me like that, Naruto-san!" he said clutching his chest. "I made our Bento, and it's almost time to be there…"

"KYAAA!!! WE"RE GONNA BE LAATE!!!" Naruto yelled, grabbing a lunch and running out the door. "C'MON, HAKU!! WE GOTTA BE THERE!!!"

"Coming, Naruto-san!" Haku locked the door like always, and raced to catch up to his master. 'No, Haku. _Friend._ He doesn't want to be your master, he wants to be your friend.' The two quickly made it to the Ninja academy, and slid into their seats.

"G-Good morning, Na-Naruto-kun…" a shy voice from the seat next to Naruto said.

"Hinata-chan! G'morning!" Naruto said, wrapping his friend in a hug. Hinata's face went beet red, and she had to keep herself from fainting. 'He's hugging me… Naruto-kun's hugging me…' Once Naruto let go, he noticed her face.

"Hey Hinata, something wrong? You hot or something?"

"N-N-No, Naruto-k-k-kun…" she managed to get out.

"Okay then!" He said, and casually threw an arm around her shoulder. Hinata nearly swooned then and there, but she maintained her composure, and quickly noticed that voice in her head was back.

{You like that kid, huh? Little on the scrawny side, but…} the voice said. Hinata didn't know what the voice was, but she could tell it was a woman.

'Ano… I… Ano…'

{I'll take that as a yes.} the other voice said smugly.

'Just who are you, anyway?'

{Ya mean ya don't know!?} the other voice burst out laughing {She really doesn't know! This is priceless!}

"Oi, Hinata? You alright? You're holdin' your head. You got a headache?" Naruto asked her, concern in his blue eyes.

"Oh, n-n-no, Naruto-kun… It's not that…"

"Ask her, Naruto-san. Maybe she has them too!" Haku piped up from his seat opposite Naruto.

"H-Has what too?" Naruto looked around, and motioned her to come closer. Blushing, Hinata obliged.

"Hinata, promise you won't think we're crazy?" at Hinata's silent nod, Naruto continued. "Lately, Haku and I… well…" Naruto took a deep breath. "HakuandIhavebeenhearingvoicesinourheads!"

"You… have them too?" she asked, too surprised to be shy and blush, until she noticed her face was about six inches away from Naruto's.

{GO FOR IT, GIRL!!! HE'S YOURS!! TAKE 'IM!!} the voice in her head shouted.

'I COULDN'T DO THAT!!!' Hinata all but shrieked in her mind.

"I told you someone else was bound to have one too, Naruto-san." Haku said. "Mine's been getting out of control… It wants me to-"

"Wants you to what, Haku-kun?" Sakura asked as she took a seat beside him. "I bet the voice in your head isn't telling you to go buy thongs or other shameless things like that…"

"Nani!? You have one too, Sakura-chan!?" Naruto asked, almost falling out of his chair.

"Che. Who knew the dobe had one?" Sasuke asked from his seat behind Naruto.

"SASUKE!! I'M GONNA- did you say you had one too!?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Hai, dobe. I have one too. Mine's got a few good ideas though…" Sasuke said, getting a steely look in his eyes.

"Okay class, settle down…" Iruka said from his desk. "Due to the fact that half of the Jounin assigned to be your senseis are out on missions, you kids'll meet them tomorrow. As for now, get out of here before you break something." After the dust cloud made by students running through the door settled, Iruka looked up and was shocked to see five students still in class. "Hey, you kids alright?" he asked, walking up to them.

"Oh, is class over, Iruka-sensei?" Sakura asked. At his nod, the five children stood up and left as a group.

"Hey, Hinata-chan! Why don't we ask Hokage-sama!? He said I could always talk to him if I needed something! Let's go!" Without waiting for an answer, he ran straight for the building where the Hokage worked. The others exchanged a look of mutual confusion and followed him.

hr

There! That took awhile. Now, to answer those reviews…

RuByMoOn17: This soon enough?

Erik3: The way I think the fourth's seal works is it turns the demon into a large amount of raw energy. This is concentrated in the sealer's hand. He then seals the energy (and the demon along with it) into the inner coils system of a relatively newborn child. It's confusing… but please keep reading!

Metanaito: Domo arigato, tomodachi! I didn't think it was that good… ;

Anyway, a lot will be explained in the next chapter, so don't worry! Please R&R, as always!


	3. Answers and Memories

Ummm… Hey guys! ; Sorry it took so long for me to update, but I've had something like writer's block for a while… Anyway, I have a dilemma. I've decided that this is going to be a NaruHina and SasuSaku fic, but I don't know who to pair Haku with… That's where all you readers come in! I'll have a poll at the end of this chapter to see who you think would be the best partner (is that the right word?) for Haku. Speaking of Haku, he wears jeans and a t-shirt with a spiral on it, and his hair is chin-length. Forgot to mention that… --;

"blah" = speech

'blah' = thoughts, speaking to demons

_'blah'_ = demons speaking

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The five children made their way to the offices of the Hokage at the center of the village. Once they got there, they found the Hokage's office door, which was always open, was closed and guarded by an ANBU.

"That's odd… Hokage-sama always leaves the door open for everyone…" Sakura said, her brow furrowed in confusion. Sasuke said nothing, which meant he agreed. Naruto, on the other hand, walked toward them.

"Hey, hey! We have to speak with Hokage!" Naruto said, looking up at the masked face of the ANBU.

"Oh? And what makes you demons think you can see him, huh?" the ANBU in a ram mask said with a noticeable edge to his voice. Naruto's eyes narrowed in response (a/n: the episode with Mizuki never happened.).

"De…. Demons?" Hinata asked quietly, shock visible on her face and in her voice.

"You heard me!" the ANBU snarled. "You five are disgraces to Konoha, I don't even see why Hokage-sama lets you live! You five are – GK!!" the ANBU found it very hard to breathe for some reason, and noticed a hand squeezing his neck. He followed the hand to an arm, and the arm to the owner. He suddenly found himself looking into the infuriated milky-white eyes of Hyuga Hiashi.

"O…Otousan!" Hinata squeaked. Hiashi looked over his shoulder at his daughter.

"I'll be with you in a second, Hinata. I need to discuss something with this man." Turning his eyes back to the ANBU, his Byakugan activated out of pure anger. "WHAT, pray tell, gives you the right to slander my daughter as such?" The intent to kill was plainly oozing out of Hiashi's every pore.

"F-Forgive me, Hyuga-sama… I-I-I meant no disrespect-"

"SILENCE!!!!" the elder Hyuga roared. He dropped the ANBU on the ground, and allowed the man to stand up. "You are within the field of my divination." Hiashi simply stated.

"Hyuga-sama, please, not that!" the ANBU said, voice rising out of panic.

"Hakkeshou: Rokujuu Yonshou!"

"Two Hands!"

"Four Hands!"

"Eight Hands!"

"Sixteen Hands!"

"Thirty-two Hands!"

"Sixty-four Hands!"

When the attack was finished, the man was laying on the ground curled up into a fetal position, and trying _VERY_ hard not to scream like a little girl. (a/n: No offense to any readers, I use this phrase because of the pitch he would be screaming, nothing more! ) Hiashi turned to the children. "Hokage-sama is in the Rain country right now, not here. Why have you come to see him?" he asked.

"Well… uh…" Naruto began, trying to find his voice after witnessing an ANBU being taken down in one attack. Hinata ran up to her father and whispered something in his ear. Hiashi's smile was replaced by a slightly sadder one.

"Even though Hokage-sama is not here, I believe that I can help you with your problems. If you all would follow me to my home, we will discuss it over a nice cup of my wife's wonderful tea." The children merely nodded, still numb from his attack on the ANBU.

'What kind of attack was that? It took him down with just one use!' Sasuke thought as they walked away from the twitching ANBU on the floor.

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Inside the comfort of the Hyuga mansion, the children were waiting at the table for Hiashi to return.

"You mean you LIVE here, Hinata-chan!?" Naruto asked incredulously, looking around at everything.

"Ha…Hai…" she managed to squeak out, her face turning beet red. Naruto noticed.

'Why does her face always look like a ripe tomato whenever she's lookin' at me? Maybe it's just a girl thing…'

"Alright, I'm sorry I took so long, little ones." Hiashi said when he reentered, sitting down at the head of the table, next to Hinata. "To be honest, I was waiting for the day when one of you would notice. This all is because of what happened on that night twelve years ago, when Yondaime defeated the demons attacking Konoha. Despite what the records say, he did not kill the demons. They were far too strong to be killed. One of the seven, Shukaku, was already sealed inside a tea kettle in the Wind country, and then transferred to another vessel. The last six, however, had to be sealed within five infants."

"And those five infants… are us?" Sakura asked unsteadily.

"Nani? What about the sixth demon!?" Naruto asked.

"I was very good friends with the Fourth, young ones. We were practically brothers." Hiashi took a deep breath. "Yes, Haruno-san. You five each have a demon sealed inside of you. All of you have led a hard life, to some extent. Some harder than others." He said, looking at Naruto. "Naruto, what do you know about your parents?" For once, the number one hyperactive ninja of Konoha was silent.

"Nothin'. At all." He said.

"Naruto, your father was a great man. He was probably one of the bravest men I've met. He was just like you. Nobody was safe from his pranks… not even Hokage-sama." Hiashi smirked. "Naruto, your father is Kazara Yume, the Fourth Hokage."

"Na…. _Na…** NANI!!!??"**_ Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs. Hiashi held up his hands to stall the stampede of questions about to burst from the boy's mouth.

"The sixth demon was much harder to seal, since there were no other vessels available. So he did the only thing he could, and sealed it within his own body." Sakura gasped.

"But sir, that would have killed him!!" she exclaimed.

"Not quite. What I am about to tell you children cannot leave this room." All of them nodded. "The fourth is still alive."

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WOOO!!! Cliffhanger! Anyway, here's the review responses!

Supertrunk: Thanks! And Haku is still a boy.

Rednal29: Don't forget Wolf! And thanks! I just picked a few animals that sounded cool… ;

ErikKoekkoek: that's a good team suggestion. I might use it (evil laughter). Yais, Zabuza's a BAKA YARO, but he served his purpose. And I'll count that as your vote in the poll, unless you tell me differently.

Metanaito: Arigato, tomodachi! I'm trying to… ; Ja ne!

ANYWAY… here's the poll for Haku's balance!! (ta dah…)

Yamanaka Ino ??? Tenten (What the HELL is her last name, anyway!!??) Sabakuno Temari (I dunno… dodges objects thrown at him) 

RFI, as the saying goes (Read, Flame, Ignore) I should be updating more regularly, Gomen nasai for the delays!


	4. The Awakening

Umm… Hello again! I know it's late, but I FINALLY updated the next chapter… -.-;

I solved the Haku dilemma! Thank you for all of your inputs, but the easiest road is to pair Haku with an OC, so I wouldn't have to make anyone OOC! There! Problem solved!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I DO own Kazara Yume.

"blah" = speech

'blah' = thoughts

{blah} = demons talking to their respective vessels.

Silence. Complete and utter silence was all that was heard in Hiashi's office after he made his statement.

"Na… Nani?" Naruto managed to choke out. "What do you mean he's alive?" Hiashi let out a sad sigh and began to explain.

"He is alive, but not well. He's been in a coma for the past twelve years. His body's having a hard time adjusting to a demon that was forcibly sealed inside of him. There's a very good reason Yume's seal is meant to be used on infants. In an adult body, the inner coils system is set in stone, and would not be able to handle the shock of a huge, foreign chakra signal being added. In an infant, the inner coils system is not fully developed, so it's possible to…" he trailed off as he saw the look of confusion on the boys' faces. He sighed again, and felt a vein throb on his forehead. "Simply put, it would kill an adult." Sakura's brow creased as she thought.

"Hyuuga-sama, if it kills an adult, how is Yondaime-sama alive?" she asked. Naruto nodded.

"Honestly? No one has any idea. By all rights, Yume _should_ be six feet under right now, but he isn't. It's like something is holding him here, not letting him die." Hiashi took a deep breath. "His condition has improved slightly in the past few years, and he might wake up someday. The strange thing is his body."

"What about his body?" Haku asked. He couldn't help but be interested in his favorite field.

"His body should be completely wasted away, weak and vulnerable. But, the doctors estimate that his strength has only decreased about 25%, if not less."

"NANI!!??" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs. Sasuke, while not saying anything, had his mouth slightly ajar in shock. Hinata's eyes were almost the same size as dinner plates, and Sakura was numbly sitting there.

"Ano, Hiashi-sama?" Naruto asked.

"Nani, Naruto-kun?" Hiashi replied, looking at him.

"Ano, do you think…" 'Geez, I sound like Hinata!' "Do you think I could… maybe… see my dad?" Hiashi's pupilless eyes softened.

"Of course, Naruto-kun. Let's go see him now." Hiashi smirked as he looked at the other children. "And I suppose you four want to come also?"

"Ano… only if Naruto-k-kun says it's okay…" Hinata stammered.

"Hmf." Sasuke replied (a/n: Geez, this kid never says a full sentence, huh? XD)

"Hai!" Sakura said.

"I'm following Naruto-san!" Haku said with a smile. Hiashi smiled.

"Very well then. Let's go." With that, the elder Hyuuga rose from the table and headed towards the hospital with the five Genin in tow.

"Hyuuga-sama!!" The nurse at the reception desk exclaimed. "What an unexpected honor! Are you here to see _him_?"

"Hai. These young ones will be coming with me." Hiashi said as he gestured to the Genin behind him.

"Of course, Hyuuga-sama. You know the way, and the ANBU have been informed you're coming." The nurse bowed her head to him and smiled at the children.

"Follow me, little ones." Hiashi went up to a door labeled "RESTRICTED ACCESS" and walked on through.

'So much for security measures…' Sakura thought as a sweatdrop formed on the back of her head. The kids filed through the door after him, and soon came to a hallway that was crawling with ANBU. 'Oh, THERE'S the security!' Hiashi nodded to the ANBU, and they parted revealing a door.

"Kids, I'm only taking Naruto in with me this time. The rest of you wait out here." The kids nodded, and Naruto and Hiashi entered the door.

Lying in a single bed in the room is a man. He would be tall, if he was standing. Spiky, unruly golden hair falls down past his shoulders.

{THERE HE IS!!! I KNEW THAT BAKAYARO WAS STILL ALIVE!!! OOOOHH, if I only had control!!}

'Shut up, you stupid fox!' Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs. 'I'm not in the mood to deal with you now!' Hiashi sat in a chair beside the bed.

"Ohayo, Yume. How are you today?" Hiashi gave a sad smile. "I'll have to ask a nurse to cut your hair, it's getting long again. I know it's been awhile since I last saw you, but you wouldn't believe how stubborn the council can be. I brought someone with me this time. You probably won't recognize him, but it's little Naruto, your son." Hiashi stood up and looked at Naruto. "I'll wait outside with the others. You can come out when you're done." He walked out of the room, wiping a tear from his eye as he did. Numbly, Naruto walked over to the chair that Hiashi had sat in and his legs gave out.

"Ohayo, Otousan..." Naruto looked at his father's body, lying there peacefully. "I-I don't know if you can hear me, but… Oh, lord, I don't know what to say… I missed you, Otousan…" Naruto lost the battle to hold it all in, and he started sobbing. "I… I need somebody… Haku's great, he's helped me so much… but… I need a… family…"

Unknown  to Naruto, Yume's hands twitched on the bed, and his eyes followed suit.

"Otousan…" was all Naruto could say. He was crying too hard to say anything else coherent. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his head. He shot up, and looked for the owner of the arm.

"Why… Why are you crying, Naruto?" Kazara Yume asked, his blue eyes filled with concern.

"Otousan… you're… awake?"

"Hai, Naruto-kun… I'm sorry… I couldn't be there for you…"

"Wait here, Otousan!" Naruto ran as fast as his feet could carry him to the door. _"HE'S AWAAAAKE!!!! OTOUSAN'S AWAKE!!!"_

Oi, how's that!? That should be the longest chapter yet! Anyway, on to the reviews!

**element4life** – I haven't seen one of that pairing either!

**chicchai-raion** – Yeah, I know that the chapters have been short. Trying to work on that… ;

**Rednal29** – "Yondaime" literally means "the fourth." It's his job title (Yondaime Hokage = The Fourth Hokage)

**Metanaito** – a) Hyuk hyuk hyuk. b) Thanks. c) That's kinda mean… d) I'm TRYING!! Arigato, tomodachi!

**ErikKoekkoek**-sama – Did I explain it good enough? Thanks for pointing out the error, I'll fix it as soon as I can. Oh, about your fic… GAAAH!!! UPDATE, MAN!! UPDAAATE!!! I'M BEGGING YOU!!!! I've never seen this pairing before, but you make it so darn believable! You are SO going on my favorite author/story list!!

Anyway, might have the next chapter up tomorrow, it just depends. This has been the week from hell…

**_NEXT TIME:_** The Genin teams are selected, and you readers get to see how evil I can be. XD


	5. Good News and Bad News

Ohayo, everyone! I'm finally back again. I know that the chapters have been on the short side, but they'll probably stay that way. Sorry, but I'm not good at concentrating on one thing for a long amount of time. Ask any of my friends . Anyway, I STILL don't own Naruto, but I do own Kazara Yume.

_"HE'S AWAAAKE!!! OTOUSAN'S AWAKE EVERYONE!!!" _Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs.

"WHY are you always so lou-WHATDIDYOUJUSTSAY!!??" Sakura asked. Naruto was practically bouncing off of the walls.

"IstartedtalkingtohimandthenIstartedcrying, causeIwassad, andthenhe-OW!" Naruto held his head where a fresh bump was forming.

"Speak less than twenty miles an hour, dobe." Sasuke grumbled. Hiashi ran in the room and couldn't believe his eyes.

"Yume!?" He turned his head and smiled.

"Oh, hey there, Hiashi. How long have I been out, twelve years?" Yume asked with a smile on his face.

"Yeah. It's been twelve years. You sure kept me waiting, dobe." Hiashi smirked even though tears were leaking out of his eyes. He spun around and yelled fit to rival Naruto. "DOCTOR!! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!!??"

"Coming, coming. What's the rush, anywa- GOOD HEAVENS!!!"

Yume smiled. "Good to see you too, doc. Say, any way I could get some Ramen from the Ichiraku? Only around thirty or so bowls?" Yume asked, giving the same fox like grin that Naruto had.

Hiashi nodded. "You." He motioned to one of the ANBU. "Go get that order and charge it to my account."

"Hai, Hyuuga-sama." With that, the ANBU was gone.

"He's alive? I can't believe this!" Sakura was trying to get a good look past the ANBU at Yume, to see if Naruto was just babbling again. Beside her, a cold bead of sweat ran down Sasuke's face.

'It's him… I can sense that monstrous chakra…'

**{So get in there and kill him already!}**

'Che. Yeah right. Now shut up, you stupid dragon.'

Haku's jaw was almost on the floor. "How… I read about **Shisou Fuuin… it draws out the soul of the caster…"**

**'I'm so happy for you, Naruto-kun.' Hinata thought.**

**"HEEEY!!! HINA-CHAN!!!" Said tomato-faced girl almost fainted. Naruto grabbed her and spun her around. "Tousan's alive!! He's really alive!! I have a family!!"**

**_'He's spinning me around in his arms!!! And he called me "Hina-chan"!!_****' Hinata thought. 'This has got to be a dream. There's no other explanation… unless… he really _is_ spinning me around and calling me "Hina-chan"…' And that's all it took for the Hyuuga heiress to lose all strength in her lower body.**

**"Oi, Hinata-chan? You alright?" Naruto asked, supporting her weight easily. 'She's so light…'**

**"Ha… hai, Naruto-k-kun. I-I'm fine." This earned a snicker from Haku.**

**"Awwww… look at the lovebirds…" Sakura cooed. Hinata looked like all the blood in her body had gone to her face and Naruto's face was a lovely shade of vermillion. "Um, Hyuuga-sama…"**

**"I told you kids to call me Hiashi, remember?"**

**"Hai. Ano, Hiashi… could we see him, maybe?" Sakura asked. He smiled. **

**"I'm sure he'll see you. Where the HELL is that ANBU, anyway??" Said ANBU struggled back into the room, laden with Styrofoam bowls. Naruto's nose perked up instantly.**

**"RAMEN!!!" Haku sweatdropped as he held Naruto back.**

**"Naruto-san, it's for your father. He hasn't eaten in twelve years…" Hiashi walked over to the children. **

**"I'm sorry, little ones, but you can't stay here tonight. You can come back and see him tomorrow after you meet your teachers. The doctors have to do all of their examinations, now that he's eaten…" his voice trailed off as he saw all of the ramen containers empty already. 'Hasn't changed a bit.'**

**"Why!? Why can't I stay with him!?" Naruto shouted.**

**"Calm down over there, Naruto." Yume called from his bed. "Go on back to your apartment for now and pack up. Once I'm out of here, we're moving' back into my old house! Good luck with your sensei tomorrow."**

**"HONTO!!?? Arigato, Otousan! C'mon, Haku! Let's get packing!"**

**"Bye everyone!" Haku called as he was pulled around the corner.**

**"Hn." Was all Sasuke said as he walked out of the hospital, with Sakura behind him.**

**"Let's go home for now, Hinata." Hinata nodded. "You like Naruto, don't you?" Hinata flushed as she squeaked out an agreement. 'I might have guessed as much.' A smile reached Hiashi's lips as he exited the hospital.**

Morning creeped uninvited into Naruto's eyes. Yawning, he sat up and wondered why everything was packed up in boxes. 'Oh, that's right! Otousan's taking us to his house later!' Now fully awake and energized, Naruto ran into the living room area. "Ohayo, Haku!"

"Ohayo, Naruto-san. Ready to go?"

"Of course! Let's get this meeting over with so we can go to our new home!" Both of the young ninjas sprinted out into the streets and were actually early for once.

"Naruto!? Are you feeling okay?" Iruka put his hand on Naruto's head in mock concern. "You're early. I think you need to go to the nurse!"

"That's not funny, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto pouted. Iruka chuckled. Once the bell rang and everyone was in their seats, Iruka cleared his throat.

"Attention, class! Today you'll be divided up into three man cells, and meet with your Jounin senseis. Here are the teams." Iruka read the first six teams, then came to team seven. "Team Seven: Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, Hana Haku. Sensei: Hatake Kakashi." Naruto let out a whoop and hugged Hinata, who in turn turned beet red. "Team Eight: Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba. Sensei: Sarutobi Asuma. Team Nine is the only four person cell we have: Aburame Shino, Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura… and Uchiha Sasuke. Sensei: Yuuhi Kurenai."

'Oh god no.' was the only thought running through Sasuke's head. Both of the girls squealed, then shot lightning bolts between their eyes.

'Itai.' Was all Naruto thought when he looked at Sasuke with sympathy. All of the teams left with their senseis… all of the teams MINUS Team Seven.

"Well?" Sandaime asked the doctor. "What's wrong with him?"

"Well, sir, it seems that the reason he's alive is because the Death God took the demon's soul, not his. However… the demon appears to have gotten the last laugh."

"Why?" Yume asked calmly from the bed.

"Well, Yondaime-sama… all of your tenketsus are closed. And as far as we can tell, there's no way to open them again."

Cliffhanger!! AND it's 1,011 words! GAH! That long enough?? Anyway…

**ErikKoekkoek**-sama – Yeah, the kids don't really know what's going on. New project?? WHERE!!?? I can't wait! And I hope this one was long enough.

**element4life** – Well, you tell me based on the end of this chapter ;)

**Brightsmoke** – Thank you kindly!

**Rednal29** – This is just the name I made for him.

**Metanaito** – gee, thanks for calling me something I don't know again. Ja ne, kuro megane!

Thanks for all your reviews! I really appreciate it. I'm really trying to be more regular with the updating… ; C ya later!


	6. Meetings

Hey guys! I'm back. Anyway, here's another chapter, hope you guys like! Thanks for all your support and I'd like it if you mentioned this story to all your friends, seeing as it's my first fic and all… I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, but I DO own Kazara Yume. So THERE! =P

OFFICIAL PAIRINGS FOR THE STORY:

NaruHina

SasuSaku

ShikaIno (minor characters)

Haku

"WHERE THE HELL IS HE!!!??" Naruto shouted. "We've been waiting for three hours already!" He was pacing the length of the classroom.

"Zzzzzzz…" Haku was asleep on one of the desks with a small pool of drool from the corner of his mouth.

"I-I-I'm sure he ha-has a good reason for being l-late. N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered.

"Yo." Kakashi said from the window.

"YOU'RE LATE!! WHAT THE HELL KIND OF TEACHER ARE YOU!!??" Naruto yelled. Haku woke with a start, and noticed their teacher. His Hitai-ate was pushed down so it covered his left eye, and he had a black face mask that covered the lower part of his face. Other than that, and the bored expression on his face, he looked like your average Jounin.

"Ah, well, you see, today I got lost on the road of life…"

"LIAR!!" Kakashi smiled under his mask. 'Your son turned out just like you, Yume-sensei…'

"Anyway, why don't you guys meet me on the roof and we'll get to know each other better." He waved and disappeared in a puff of smoke. The three Genin looked at each other and each thought the same thing…

'What have I gotten myself into?'

"Alright. Why don't you just tell us your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future… stuff like that?"

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei?" Haku asked. "Why don't you go first?"

"Alright. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I like… My dislikes are… I have plenty of hobbies, and I don't really dream. Alright, you in the orange." The kids looked at one another with confused expressions on their face.

"Yosh! My name's Uzumaki Naruto! I like, no I LOVE cup ramen! I like the ramen Iruka-sensei at Ichiraku that Iruka-sensei buys me even better. Haku's homemade dinners are really good too." Said boy smiled proudly. "I hate the three minute wait after you pour in the hot water before you can eat the ramen."

'Food on the brain…' Kakashi thought as a sweatdrop formed on the back of his head.

"My hobbies are hanging out with Haku and training. My dream is to become the next Hokage so that everyone will have to acknowledge my existence at last!" He said this last part while fiddling with his headband. Kakashi smiled under his mask and nodded at Hinata, who promptly flushed.

"M-My name i-is Hyuuga Hinata." She began at little more than a whisper. "I like… ano…" She blushed redder than a tomato and looked away from Naruto. "I dislike those who hurt my friends. My ho-hobbies are reading, t-t-training, and helping at the hospital. My d-d-dreams for the future… are to become worthy of being in the Main Family, and to b-become a Medical ninja, and m-m-maybe…" she looked at Naruto again and flushed even redder, if possible. Kakashi chuckled under his breath and nodded to Haku.

"My name is Hana Haku. I like being useful to Naruto-san and making him happy. I dislike it when Naruto-san is upset, And when people mistake me for a girl." Naruto laughed, and Kakashi felt another sweatdrop form on the back of his head. "My hobbies are training with Naruto-san and learning more Ijutsu. My dreams for the future are to become a medical ninja and to remain by Naruto-san's side as long as he wants me to." Kakashi contemplated this.

'Such deep loyalty… the girl's the Hyuuga heir, but her face is a tomato whenever she looks at Naruto… and, the number one loudmouth ninja in Konoha, who wants to become Hokage…' "Alright. Tomorrow morning, meet me at six on training field seven. Oh, and don't eat breakfast." Kakashi smiled. "I don't want you to throw up!" That said, he vanished.

"Ne, ne! Let's go look for my dad!" Naruto said. Haku and Hinata nodded. They dashed off across the rooftops, and were soon joined by Sasuke and Sakura.

"Ohayo, minna!" Sakura called. "Where have you been and where are you going?"

"We've been waiting for our teacher, and now we're going to see Naruto-san's father." Haku replied. "Would you like to come, Uchiha-san, Sakura-san?"

"Sure! We've already met with our sensei, right, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn." The children arrived at the hospital, and an ANBU escorted them back to Yume's room.

"Oh, hey kids!" Yume said, smiling when he saw them. He was sitting on his bed reading a very large scroll. He rolled the scroll up. "Alright… I want to talk to each of you separately. Naruto, you first." All of the kids nodded and left the room. 'Naruto…' Yume thought as he saw his son standing there, unsure of what to do. "Come here, Naruto." Naruto walked hesitantly over to him. Without warning, Naruto found himself swept up onto Yume's lap. "I can't imagine anyone has done this to you before…" Tears filled Naruto's eyes as he thought of how much he envied the other children whose parents did this for them. And now… he actually has a father… someone who cares… unable to hold it in anymore, Naruto throws his arms around his father's neck and sobs into his shoulder. "Ssh… that's right… let it all out…" Yume murmured comforts to his son, rubbing his back. He listened as Naruto described his life alone, how he found Haku, when he first started hearing the voice, Naruto told him everything. 'If I could only use Rasengan on them all like I want to…' he thought. Naruto finally stopped crying and pulled back.

"Gomen, Otousan. Now you probably think I'm a weakling…"

"Iie, Naruto-chan. You're not a weakling. I'm proud of you for being so brave. I need you to still be brave for a while. HIASHI!" Hiashi walked into the room.

"You're actually going to have me use it? Is he really up to this?"

"Up to what?" Naruto asked? Yume looked down at him.

"Naruto, it's time we had a talk with your demon."

Tadaaah! 1,172 words seemed like a good point to cut off. Anyway, I got more reviews this time. So here we go!

**Gopu** – Thanx!

**element4life** – Don't worry, everything will smooth out eventually.

**ErikKoekkoek**-sama – No, it can't. XD Thanks for pointing out the bold error in Chapter Five, I fixed it already. Oh, by the way… UPDATE ONEGAI!!

**kashisenshey** – I like cliffhangers! XP Anyway thanks for the review.****

****

**Ghostdragon** – Thanks!

**One Azn Dragon** – yeah, Sasuke torture's pretty funny XD The action will start soon, I promise.

**Rednal29**-sama – O.o You hit the nail on the head with your second suggestion… Sandaime's the third.

**Metanaito** – ROFLMFAO indeed. Ja ne, yuujou no ichiban. Arigato.

NEXT CHAPTER: We meet Kyubi, and Yume talks with the other sealed children.


	7. The Past and the Future

Hey guys! Here's the next installment of my series. I just wanted to thank all of you for all of your support with my pitiful first attempt at a story. --; Anyway, I still don't own Naruto, but I do own Yume.

Hiashi struck a quick blow to both Naruto and Yume's heads while they were still holding hands.

"Itai…" Naruto whined as he picked himself up off of the ground. "Hey, Tousan…? Where are we??" Naruto saw that he was in a dank hallway with standing water on the ground.

"Ne, Naruto? Give me a hand? I can't really use my legs yet…" Yume asked from the ground. Naruto immediately helped him up and supported him. "I think the door we're looking for is ahead."

"Ne, Tousan? Where are we?"

"We're inside your mind, Naruto."

"Nani!? My mind is a dump like this??" Yume laughed.

"Prepare yourself, Naruto. He's right ahead of us."

"Who's right ahead of-"

**"YOU!!! YOU HAVE SOME NERVE, COMING IN HERE!!"** Naruto looked up, and saw a pair of red eyes behind a huge gate. **"GIVE ME ONE REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T RIP YOU LIMB FROM LIMB AND WATER THE PLANTS WITH YOUR BLOOD!!"**

"I'll give you two reasons, fox. One, you can't get out because of the seal, and two, you wouldn't even if you could." Naruto had suddenly found it hard to support his father, let alone stand on his own.

**"OH, LOOK. THE KIT'S AFRAID OF LITTLE OLD ME."**

"LOOK YOU STUPID FOX!!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs. "I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR STUPID WHINING! SHUT UP IN THERE OR I'LL MAKE YOU!!" Kyubi just started laughing. "WHAT'S SO FUNNY!?"

**"I WAS WAITING FOR THE DAY WHEN YOU'D COME HERE, BUT I WASN'T PREPARED FOR YOUR OLD MAN TO BE HERE. I'VE BEEN WATCHING THE WORLD THROUGH YOUR EYES FOR SOME TIME NOW, RUNT, AND WHILE I MAY NOT BE FREE TO CAUSE CHAOS ON MY OWN, YOUR PRANKS DO A FAIRLY GOOD JOB, ONLY THERE'S NO KILLING INVOLVED."** Yume rolled his eyes.

"Fox, I didn't come here to small talk with you. I want you to protect my son, and give him your chakra when he asks for it."

**"AND WHY SHOULD I DO THAT!!?"**

"Because if you don't, and Naruto dies, so do you."

**"… Very well. I'll keep an eye on the kit, but I expect him to get stronger, AND to enroll in the next exam, understood?"**

"Sure, sure. I was going to recommend him anyway. Let's get out of here, Naruto." As soon as he said that, Naruto found himself on the floor of his father's hospital room. Sitting up, he put a hand to his throbbing head. "Sorry about the headache Naruto. You always get one." Naruto picked himself off of the floor and sat in a chair.

"Ne, Otousan?"

"Nani?"

"Do… Do I have any other family?" Yume let out a sigh.

"Iie. Your family on your mother's side lived on the outskirts of the village. They were the first to go when the demons attacked. As for my family…" Yume looked at his son. "Are you sure you want to know this, Naruto?"

"Hai."

"My family was wiped out. They weren't allied with any one village, but they favored Konohagakure. One night, when I was five, shinobi from every country, except this one, came and slaughtered my family."

"NANI!!!?? Why were they killed?"

"Our blood limit, Naruto. Everyone was scared of our blood limit. It's a passive ability that is active all the time, and doesn't really take any chakra to use. It's called Fuhentai (Immunity). Basically, any other blood limit has no effect on a Kazara. That scared the other villages, since they would be at a disadvantage if my family allied with Konoha. So, they wiped us out. They would have killed me too, but ANBU arrived and saved me. I was raised by two of the best ninjas from Konoha."

"Really!? Who!? Who!?"

"Well, they both had their faults. My 'father' and teacher is Jiraiya-sensei. He's a Toad hermit and… a super pervert, which is why I called him Ero-sensei. My mother…" Yume looked up at the ceiling. "Tsunade-kaasan is the best medic-nin this village has seen. It's said she could heal any wound, but… her heart's been broken over the years. She eventually left the village a short while before I 'died.'"

"Did they love each other?" Yume cracked up laughing.

"Oh, not really. They're very good friends, but since Jiraiya-sensei's a pervert, that kind of kills any possibility for romance between them." Yume looked at the door, then leaned in and whispered to Naruto. He looked confused, but got up, sneaked over to the door, and pulled it open. Four bodies fell in when the door was opened.

"Um… Hi!" Sakura said.

"So, you four heard everything, eh?" Yume asked with laughter in his eyes.

"Yeah." Haku said.

"G-Gomenasai, we didn't m-mean to eavesdrop, b-but…" Hinata stammered.

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad Naruto has such good friends. Naruto, gomen, but the doctors said I can't leave the hospital yet."

"But Otousan, you said you'd let us live with you!" Naruto said.

"Hai, I did. I should be able to leave in a week or so. Until then, you're going to be living in the Hyuuga manor." Hinata nearly fainted right then and there.

'Naruto-kun's going to live with me! For w WHOLE WEEK!!'

{Well, looks like we'll have some time to get busy!}

'Nani?'

{Geez, SOMEone's lead a sheltered life.} Hiashi walked into the room.

"It's done, Yume. We're ready to go." Yume smiled and nodded. "Naruto-kun, Haku-kun. Please follow me. Your things have already been set up in the guest complex." He smiled at Hinata and put an arm around her shoulder. The four of them walked out of the room.

"Sakura-chan, why don't you go on home. Your parents must be worried."

"Demo-"

"Iie demo, Sakura-chan. Sasuke-kun and I have to talk."

"Hai. Good night, Sasuke-kun."

"You too." After she had closed the door behind her, Yume looked at Sasuke.

"Itachi did it, didn't he?" Sasuke slowly nodded. "Sasuke-kun, I know how it feels to have your family taken from you, but you can't let yourself tread down the wrong path. I know you think you're supposed to be an avenger, but think of what your mother would tell you." Sasuke immediately stiffened. "Just think it over, Sasuke. If you want power, I'll be happy to train you after I get out of here." Sasuke smiled.

"I think… I would like that, Yondaime-sama."

Hiashi walked towards the room where he had called a meeting with the clan elders. 'Yume's right. There's a time for change, and that time is now. Give me strength, Shizuka-chan.'

"Ne, Hina-chan? Where are we going?" Hinata swallowed nervously.

"We-we're going t-t-to see the Elders, Naruto-k-kun."

"You sound nervous."

"Th-they don't like me."

"They're stupid then." Hinata flushed, and Haku let out a small laugh. Hiashi smiled as he heard the conversation behind him.

"Naruto-kun, Haku-kun. You two need to wait out here until I call you in, alright?"

"Sure thing, Hiashi-san!" Hiashi opened the door and walked in, taking his place at the head of the table. Hinata took her place at his right side as the heir. "Greetings, elders of the council and fellow Hyuugas."

"Greetings, Hiashi-sama."

"I have called you here today because there are two people who need a place to stay for a week or so. I have extended an invitation for them to stay here, and they have accepted."

"This is acceptable. We would like to meet these people." Hiashi nodded to Hinata, and she opened the door. Haku walked in first, followed by Naruto.

"NO! Absolutely not! We will not have those demons here in this household!"

"I agree! One is bad enough!" Tears formed in Hinata's eyes, and Naruto hugged her. She clung to him like her life depended on it. "We permitted her presence to honor the memory of Shizuka, and now you wish to bring another two here!?"

"**_SILENCE!!"_** Hiashi roared, his Byakugan activated out of anger. Hinata looked at her father alarmed. He seemed to radiate a cold, silent fury. "This proves that the course of action I am about to take is the right one. No longer esteemed elders of the council, I am hereby banishing you from this household. You are no longer needed or wanted."

"You cannot do that!"

"I can, I am, and I'm enjoying doing it." He snapped his fingers and ten Hyuugas at the table were suddenly revealed as ANBU. "You will be escorted from the estate immediately. I would have adopted these children into my home gladly had it not been for your interference!"

And so, it came to pass that the Hyuuga family no longer had their council of elders, and rumor has it that Hiashi-sama himself literally threw them out of the house.

TADAAH!! Phew, another chapter down! This is my longest by far, around 1,684 words. Now, for the reviews!

**Metanaito** – I guess I'm just lucky like that!

**kashisenshey** – Yes, he is for now, but soon, the five kids will become very close friends.

**ErikKoekkoek**-sama – I know cliffies are mean, but I like doing them! Whenever you crank it out is fine with me, pal.

**One Azn Dragon** – LOL. And I don't know if there's really going to be any more Sasuke torture (dodges shurikens).

**Daniel of Lorien** – (evil laughter) Seriously, I'll try not to end too many in cliffies.

**silverblueenchantress** – Here ya go!

**Rednal29**-sama – Too true! Yondaime RULES!! (ahem) Itachi's cool too.

**fireblazie** – Thanks, I think… --; Just kidding! Thanks, for real.

**PHreek-Boi** – To each their own, as the saying goes. Thanks for the support!

**Dargon**** Sheinto** – Many thanks, my friend!

**Gopu** – Really? (blushes) Thanks!

**Jiyu**** Hatell Kodai** – Oo HERE!!! Just don't hurt me! Just kidding. Thanks.

Okay, I don't know when I'll get the next chapter out, since our family reunion is this week. (gets dragged off by family) HELP MEEE!!! FRI!!


	8. Reunions and Meetings

Hey guys! I'm finally free of the family reunion, and just in time to be dragged back to school too!! -.-# Anyway, just letting you know that I have an actual Bio now. You can see it if you click on my penname. I have a few contests on that page, and I hope all of you faithful guys (and gals) will enter them. So, I still don't own Naruto, but I do own Yume.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Yume walked up to the door of the Hyuuga estate. 'It's about time they let me out of that hospital.' The past week had been nothing but tests. 'I'm a Hokage, not a freaking lab experiment!' he sighed. He knew the doctors were trying to help him, but it was still annoying. The worst part was that he wasn't allowed to see Naruto during that time. He knew that Sarutobi-san would probably give him Kakashi as an instructor. He didn't know what kind of teacher he would be, but he had an idea. Kakashi had told him once during training that he would just fail any student given to him because it was too much work. 'Let's hope he's changed just a little…' He let out a sigh, and knocked on the door. Or he tried to, anyway. Suddenly, he found himself flat on his back, looking up at the clouds. Oh, his ribcage was being crushed, too. "Hey, Naruto? I'm glad to see you too, but I need to breathe. Could you at least ease up a little?"

"Gomen, Otousan. Demo, I'm just so happy you're out of the hospital!!" Naruto got off of his father and helped him up. He then proceeded to bounce around (quite literally). "DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OUT!! DAD'S OU-"

WHACK.

"Itai…" Naruto was nursing a new bump on his head. "SASUKE!! YOU JERK!! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!!!?? Huh?" Naruto stopped his rant, because Sasuke was… _smiling_. That… that just wasn't right! Sasuke NEVER smiles! EVER!!

"Naruto-san, where did you go- Oh, Ohayo gozaimasu, Yume-sama." Haku bowed politely as he said this. He wasn't really sure how to address the man. He was Naruto-san's father, which already meant he was to be respected, but he was also Yondaime, the fourth.

"Ah, not so formal, Haku. Just call me Yume." He raised an eyebrow when he saw Sakura and Hinata inside also. "Lemme guess… a sleepover?" The five kids nodded. He looked beyond them, and walked up to Hiashi. "Long time no see, jerkwad." All the kids tensed up. Why was Yume insulting Hiashi?

"Che. Late as usual, dobe." Was Hiashi's only reply. To fast for the kids to follow, the two had embraced.

"I missed you, my brother."

"And I you. Now, I believe I owe you something." Hiashi smacked his fist into Yume's head.

"ITAI! Whazzat for!!?"

"What was that for!? YUME NO BAKA!! You use that crazy suicide plan, and leave your son without a family! BAKA TORI-ATAMA!!!" (1)

"What about you!? HIASHI NO BAKA!! You said you would look after Naruto when I was gone! BAKA HIRETSUKAN!!!" (2)

"W-Why are Tousan and Yu-Yu-Yume-san fighting?" Hinata squeaked. She had never seen her father this mad with the exception of when he threw out the council.

"Who cares why they're fighting, why are they both crying?" Naruto asked. All of the kids looked closely at the faces of the two adults. It was true, both of them had tears running down their faces.

"I think… I think they're fighting like this because they're like brothers. They haven't seen each other in such a long time, and they're too thickheaded to show it any other way." Sakura slowly said. [IDIOTS!!! JUST HUG AND MAKE UP ALREADY!!] Inner Sakura screeched.

"BAKA!"

"JERKWAD!"

"DEAD-LAST!!"

"ICE CUBE!"

"Ice cube!?"

"You heard me."

"TORI-ATAMA!!"

"NO-EYES!!"

"AHOU!" (3)

"SHIREMONO!" (3)

"CHIJIN!" (3)

"TONCHIKI!" (3)

"TONMA!" (3)

"HAKUCHI!" (3)

"BONKURA!" (3)

"MANUKE!" (3) This continued for several minutes. Naruto was rolling on the floor in hysterics. Hinata was giggling quietly, and Sakura was laughing. Sasuke merely smirked.

'They sound like Naruto-san and Sasuke-san.' Haku thought with a sweatdrop. 'Only Sasuke-san isn't so vocal.'

"STICK-IN-THE-MUD!!"

"……"

"HA! YOU CAN'T THINK OF ANOTHER ONE, CAN YOU!!?" Yume cried triumphantly.

"……" Hiashi merely grumbled. "Lucky shot…"

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Yume had taken the kids out of the town, and into a training area in the forest. He sat on a log, and motioned for the kids to sit in front of him.

"So. You all passed your exams?" All of them nodded.

"It was easy with Hina-chan and Haku!" Naruto cheered. Hinata flushed, and this did not go unnoticed by Yume

'So, she's smitten with him, and he's clueless…' "Alright. There's a reason I called you guys out here today. I want to explain your differences, as I see them. The demons sealed inside of you affect your chakra and how it works in different ways. Naruto."

"Hai?"

"You have the most raw Chakra out of the group. However, you're not very good at molding it, and your control stinks." Naruto fell down anime style. "You're loud, and you stand out too much in that orange thing. Ninjas are about _stealth_, Naruto. Not about standing out." Naruto pouted and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Hinata giggled.

"Hinata-chan. You have fairly good control, and a decent amount of chakra. However, your chakra field is more recommended for Ijutsu (4) rather than fighting. You're a very shy and timid girl, so we'll need to work on your self confidence a bit." She flushed again, and slowly nodded.

"Sasuke. You tend to be a loner, your control is good, and you have plenty of chakra. Your ideal type is Katon, and… you already have the Sharingan, am I right?" Sasuke stiffened, but slowly nodded. "We need to concentrate on getting you used to working well with others.

"Sakura-chan. You have the best control over your chakra I've seen in a Genin. Your chakra reserves are smaller than the others, but still impossibly high for a Genin. However, you need to focus on the task at hand instead of Sasuke." Sakura wilted a little, but nodded. Sasuke tried not to look relieved.

"Haku. Your bloodline gives you an incredible ability to manipulate ice and water. You have a great amount of dedication to my son, which I appreciate. Your Ijutsu is alright, but you lack Taijutsu skill. You rely on speed attacks to win."

"Yume-sensei? Can I ask you something?"

"Nani, Sakura?"

"What do you specialize in?" Yume smiled. He pulled the large scroll from his back. He unsealed it, and rolled it on the ground to open it. It rolled along the ground for a good ten feet. The kids ogled at the contents. His name was signed over and over again, with other signatures.

"Contracts and seals. These are all of the summoning contracts I have. I lost count around two hundred…" Yume smiled ruefully. "It wasn't easy to get all of these, but it sure was worth it." He rolled up the sleeve on his left arm. There were ten symbols that looked like they'd been burned into his skin, ranging from his shoulder to his wrist. "These are the ones I use most often. Toad, Slug, Snake Branch, Fox, Dragon, Tiger, Hawk, Raven, Wolf, and Dolphin.

"Ne, ne Otousan!? When do I get one!?"

"Summoning is a Jounin level skill, dobe." Yume smiled and replied before Naruto could burst.

"Ah, but it's what we'll be working on next."

"NANI!?"

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AUTHOR NOTES:

(1)Yes, I did get that from what Megumi calls Sano in Ruroni Kenshin. It means "Rooster head."

(2)Hiretsukan means "Mean bastard" or something similar.

(3)I credit www(dot)animelab(dot)com for their dictionary. Everything in the insult match that has this not by it means "Idiot"

(4)Ijutsu = Medical Technique

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THERE WE GO! Now for the reviews!

**Metanaito**-san – Down girl.

**One Azn Dragon** – Err, thanks. And no, Sasuke is not my favorite character.

**Night-Owl123** – Thanks for your support!

**ErikKoekkoek**-sama – I left a review for you. Great work, my friend. That was pretty funny, if I say so myself.

**Jiyu Hatell Kodai** - Thankies. Typos are a pain in the rear.

**Gopu** – Thanks, and sorry this one took so long to get out.

**Rednal29**-sama – COOKIES! Sorry, gotta love 'em. I'm not really an angst fan, so that's why I'm trying to make this a little more upbeat.

**Seiiryu The Destroyer** – Thank you, and please enter my contest.

**Riyo Shiban** – thank you for your support.

THERE! Here's your next chapter folks. Not sure when I will be able to get the next one up, because school is starting again… -.-# As always, FRI, onegai!


	9. Training Part I

Oo 75… reviews… Oo YOU GUYS RULE!! Thank you so much for all of your support for my humble first attempt at a story. I promise that I'll update as soon as I can, but now that school is back in session (did I mention the fact that I loathe school with every fiber of my being?) I don't know when I'll get the chance to update again.

DISCLAIMER: All Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto-sensei except Kazara Yume.

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'Boy, they sure are quiet. I guess I shocked them with that last one…' Yume thought as the five Genin in front of him almost had their jaws on the ground. 'If Naruto's anything like me, then five… four… three… two… one…'

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN SUMMONING!!??" All the birds in the immediate area took flight out of alarm.

"Demo, Yume-sensei! Kuchiyose no jutsu (1) is a Jounin level jutsu! How can you expect us to perform it!?"

"I don't. At least, not right away. We'll work you up to it, but you guys need to learn how to harness your Chakra." Naruto looked confused.

"Chakra… that sounds familiar… what is it again?" Everyone fell down anime style.

"Naruto-san…" Haku let out a sigh of exasperation.

'I really don't feel like explaining it all over again…' Yume thought. "Ne, Sakura? Could you explain it to him?"

"Un. (2) Listen, Naruto! I'm going to explain it simply. At least TRY and remember it this time with that nice, smooth brain of yours!! Simply put, Chakra is the energy a shinobi needs when performing a jutsu. That energy has two parts. The body energy that is in each of the billions of your cells. And the spiritual energy gained through training and other experiences. These two parts are combined. So by bringing out and releasing Chakra, you can use a jutsu. This is done through the process of performing a seal with the hands."

_She was taught well._ Yume thought with a smile. "Good job, Sakura. I see you really were the top of your class." Sakura beamed under the praise.

"Ne, ne Otousan!! I didn't understand a lick of that, but if you just tell me how to do it, my body'll learn how too!" Sakura squashed the urge to beat Naruto senseless with a club because one, his dad was here, and two, they were friends.

"Naruto's right." Sasuke spoke up. "We already know how to use Jutsus."

"Bzzt! Wrong answer, Sasuke. Like Sakura just said, when you release Chakra, you bring out physical and spiritual energy and mix them together inside your Inner Coils System. There are many different types of Jutsus… Katon, Suiton, Doton, Kazeton, Raiton (3)… and based on what jutsu you use, the type and amount of Chakra that is used will be different. Not one of you five is using your Chakra effectively yet. Even if you use tons of Chakra, unless you can control it properly, the jutsu will be weakened or not even work at all."

"Ano, h-h-how do we i-imp-p-prove that, Yume-sensei?" Hinata asked.

"Simple. We climb trees."

"NANI!?"

"Why don't you come on out, Kakashi?"

"Kakashi-sensei?" Haku asked. Sure enough, the laid-back ninja walked out from behind a tree.

"You want me to demonstrate, right?"

"Ne, ne, Otousan!! How do you Kakashi-sensei!?" Naruto yelled. Kakashi walked over to Yume and embraced him.

"I was waiting for you to wake up, sensei."

"I tried, Kakashi, I tried." The two friends let go of each other. "You're still reading it, eh?" he pointed to a corner of an orange book sticking out of Kakashi's pouch. A guilty blush spread over his face.

"Jiraiya-sama writes the best stories." Yume let out a groan.

'I pray to every deity up there that this pervert thing skips generations, I really don't want Naruto turning out like Jiraiya…' Sakura raised her hand.

"Ano, Yume-sensei? How is that training?" Hinata gulped when he merely smiled a slightly evil smile.

"Oh, this isn't normal tree climbing. You can't use your hands."

"NANI!?" Yume nodded at Kakashi. Kakashi nodded back and walked up to a tree. Instead of stopping, he just walked right up the tree, perpendicular to the ground.

"Sugoi…" Hinata murmured. Naruto and Sakura merely gawked, and Sasuke nodded to himself. Kakashi kept walking out onto a relatively thick branch and stood upside-down from the bottom of the branch."

"Do you understand now? Gather the chakra in the bottom of your feet and climb up a tree. This is something you can do once you have a good amount of control over your Chakra."

"No offense, Yume-sensei, but how is climbing trees going to make us stronger?" Haku asked.

"I got this one, sensei." Kakashi spoke up from the branch. "Here's the point. Listen up. The point is… First, to teach you how to control Chakra, to bring out the proper amount to the proper area. As he said earlier, this is the most important thing when using a jutsu. This can be difficult for even a skilled ninja. The amount of Chakra needed to climb a tree is small, but it must be exact. And it's been said that the sole of the foot is the most difficult part of your body to gather chakra. So basically, if you can learn this level of control, you should be able to master any jutsu. Theoretically, anyway…" Yume nodded.

"The second thing…" Yume took over. "…is for you to develop the stamina you need to control your Chakra properly. Depending on the jutsu, controlling your Chakra properly can be very difficult. And a ninja will usually be gathering his Chakra during the heat of battle while moving constantly. Those types of situations make controlling Chakra even more difficult. That's why, from this tree climbing, you must gain the stamina needed for this proper level of control. Well, us yakking away all day won't help anything." Yume embedded a kunai in the ground in front of each Genin. "Use those kunai to mark how high you make it up the tree. Then use that mark as your goal and try to surpass it. You won't be able to just waltz on up the tree at first, so why don't you try a running start?"

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"So, what do you think is going to happen?" Kakashi asked while the two older men watched the kids begin.

"Naruto's going to fall on his butt like I did. Sasuke's going to use too much Chakra and be repelled. Haku will almost make it to a lower branch, and Hinata's lack of confidence will only let her get a little higher than Naruto. Sakura'll probably make it to the first branch." Sure enough…

"AAAUGH!!!"

WHAM.

"Itai…" Naruto moaned as he nursed a new bump on his head. Hinata fell back down soon after.

'I knew I couldn't do it…'

CRACK!

The tree that Sasuke was climbing had a small foot-shaped crater halfway up the trunk.

'I used too much Chakra…'

"Kuso!" Haku swore as he marked the tree and landed on his feet. "I almost made it to the first branch…"

"Hey, this is easier than I thought!" Sakura said. Everyone looked, and wouldn't you know it, she was sitting on the lowest branch with a goofy smile on her face. Sasuke cracked a small smile.

"Way to go, Sakura-chan!! That's my girl!!" Naruto yelled. "Although it kinda pisses me off…" he muttered. Hinata looked down at the ground.

"She's head over heels in love with Naruto, isn't she?"

"Mm-hmm." Kakashi replied.

"And he's completely clueless, right?" Kakashi snickered. Yume let out a frustrated sigh. 'Why do I have an urge to drive my head into a tree? I can't waaait to see what will happen when they all hit puberty… Oh, Kami, now I know how Tsunade-kaasan felt with me and Natsumi-chan… Why me!?'

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Alright, I know I said this would be longer, but I'm going out of town, so I was rushed to get this thing out. I cranked it out in an hour and a half… --;

AUTHOR NOTES:

(1) Kuchiyose no Jutsu – summoning technique

(2) This is a casual way of saying yes.

(3) Fire-type, Water-type, Earth-type, Wind-type, and Thunder-type respectively.

**Metanaito** – Arigato, tomodachi. Ja ne!

**ErikKoekkoek**-sama – I did read it, and I reviewed it again. Excellent work as always, pal. Keep it up yourself. Thanks for your support!

**Night-Owl123** – Thanks for your support.

**One Azn Dragon** – Yeah, I got ahead of myself again… --; Thanks for the support.

**Rednal29**-sama – (nods) too true, too true. "Happy Dance"? Oo Just kidding. Thanks for your support.

**sephynarutocloud** – Thanks!

**Skuld's Sentaro** – I have potential!? OO WOHOO!! SOMEONE BELIEVES IN ME!! Thank you very much!

**Riyo Shiban** – Oo I'm trying to update as soon as possible, so please bear with me.

**Place-your-name-here** – Is this ASAP enough for you? I hope it is ;

**Gopu**-san – Thanks much!

**insanechildfanfic** – Thank you!

Any constructional criticism is welcome and needed. I just realized that I wasn't specific about my Akatsuki contest on my bio… --# FOR YOUR ENTRY:

Name of Ninja

Previous village affiliation

Jutsu type preference

Favorite weapon (if applicable)

A brief biography.


	10. Training Part 2 & Hinata's Accident

Oo MY COMPUTER CRASHED!!!! I had to retype this chapter from scratch again... Anyway, I know it's been a while since I updated last, and I'm really sorry about that ; I hope this X-TRA long chapter will make up for it. WARNING: MAJOR Hinata OOC this chapter and forward, all will be explained though.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. All characters except Kazara Yume are copyright Kishimoto-sensei.

CHAPTER 10: Training Part Two and Hinata's Accident.

"CRAP!!! CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP!!!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs as he slid down the tree again. WHAM. "Itai..." Naruto moaned as he rubbed the back of his head. _Kuso... Why can't I climb any higher?? This is the twentieth time!!_

**Having fun, kit?** the fox asked in Naruto's head.

_URUSEI! I don't see you helping me!!_

**What, and miss seeing you suffer? Not likely.** The fox snickered. **It's way too much fun watching you fall on your head repeatedly. But, it'd be better if you somehow twisted around in midair so you at least landed on your feet.** Naruto rolled his eyes.

_Gee, domo arigato, ya baka kitsune._ Naruto shut the presence of the demon out of his mind, and returned to the task at hand. There had to be _some_ way of climbing, right? He'd already tried adding more Chakra, and all that did was ricochet him across the clearing. _Think, Naruto, THINK!!! Sakura's already made it to the top of her tree..._ Naruto wearily stood up for the umpteenth time that morning, and proceeded to run up the tree again.

Yume & Kakashi

_Well, they're all coming along as expected..._ Yume smirked as he watched his son fall down on his head yet again. _Itai. He really is just like I was... I just hope... he isn't JUST like me..._ Kakashi looked over at his old sensei and noticed he was brooding. He walked over and put his hand on Yume's shoulder.

"You still with us, Yume?" He jumped visibly, but looked at Kakashi and smiled.

"Yeah. I'm just remembering... Naruto really is like me... I just hope he isn't EXACTLY like me..." Kakashi's visible eye narrowed.

"You don't think he's..." Yume shrugged.

"I sure hope not, Kakashi. He has that same smile... he shows it to everyone... but all it is... is a mask, a false smile used to hide his pain... the pain of being alone... unwanted... save for a few precious people..." He sighed, and looked at the easygoing Jounin next to him. "I'll talk with him later. Kami willing, having Haku in his life will have given him something I didn't have..." Yume smiled sadly, and took a deep breath. "HEY KIDS!! LUNCHTIME!!"

"WOOHOO!!!" Naruto ran over at top speed. "What're we havin, huh tousan!? Ramen!? Please say it's ramen!!" Yume laughed, and another laugh was heard across the clearing.

"He really is your son, eh Yume? Konnichiwa, dobe." Hiashi walked into the clearing carrying several bento. Yume just smirked.

"Konnichiwa yourself, jackass. You're late again."

"Just finishing cleaning up the council room. I'm going to turn it into an indoor pool. Hanabi and Hinata have been wanting one." Hinata smiled and quietly took her bento.

"Arigato gozaimasu, otousan."

"YAAAY!! ITADAKIMASU!!!" Naruto started to inhale his food.

"Hn." was all Sasuke said as he took his lunch. Sakura sat down next to Sasuke, and Haku ate his food while reading a book of medical studies.

"Naruto, once you're done, I want to talk to you privately." Yume said as he stood up.

"Sure thing, tousan!" Naruto stood up and followed his dad into the woods.

Yume and Naruto

Yume leaned against a tree. He let out a deep sigh, and looked at his son.

"Ne, tousan? What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Naruto, I know this question might be a sore topic, but you have to answer me, alright?" At Naruto's nod, he continued. "Naruto, have you ever tried... to take your own life?" Naruto's smile vanished.

"Iie... but I came close once... I was going to one night after school, but..." the smile returned to his face. "...that's when I found Haku. He showed me what a real friend is like... and I didn't want to anymore..." Yume smiled.

"Good, I'm glad."

"Ne, ne tousan? Why did you ask me that?" Yume silently pulled off the gloved he kept on. The gloves went halfway up his forearms, completely covering his wrists. Naruto gasped when he saw scars on his father's wrists, right above the veins.

"Why, tousan!? WHY!!?" Naruto almost screamed as he grabbed his father's clothing.

"Because I was alone, Naruto. Completely and utterly alone. Before Tsunade-kaasan took me in, my life was hell. I was living by myself after my family was killed. Nobody let their children play with the orphan, the unwanted one." Yume's eyes lost their kindness and were replaced by eyes that resembled cold, hard stone. "So one night... I decided to end it..." He smiled, and the warmth returned to his eyes. "It didn't go as planned. I had no idea that I had worked myself into Tsunade's heart, like the little brother she lost. She had been walking by my apartment when she sensed my life force draining. She literally kicked the wall in after I didn't answer the door. The last thing I remember before I passed out from blood loss was her tears hitting my face as she started performing Ijutsu on me. She kept saying 'Don't die! Please don't die! Not another one of my precious people!!'" Yume looked down at his son with tears in his eyes. "I don't think she'll ever appreciate how much those words meant to me... they saved my life, Naruto. Tsunade-kaasan and those words she told me... with those words, she changed me... I had something to live for..."

"Tousan..." Naruto strangled out. Tears were coursing down his cheeks as well. His dad understood. He understood the hell of being alone... how much it meant to have just one person acknowledge that you were worth something... that you were precious to them.

"Naruto... I wanted you to know that no matter how bad it seems... never go out like that, Naruto. That's the coward's way. Besides... you never know who you might make sad if you do. Alright! That's enough of my sad story! Let's get back to the others and work on training!"

"YOSH!!" Naruto yelled. He started bouncing around again on their way back to the clearing.

The others

Hiashi watched Yume and Naruto walk into the forest. _So he's finally talking to him, huh?_ Kakashi sighed.

"It really stinks that Yume-sensei can't use his Chakra." Sakura looked at him.

"Excuse me, Kakashi-san?"

"Hm?" Kakashi looked at her over his book.

"Just how strong _is_ Yume-san anyway?" Hiashi chortled.

"I just call him dobe for old time's sake. In all truth, he's anything _but_ a dobe." Kakashi nodded. I remember the first time my team went on a mission with him and watched him fight... I get chills..."

FLASHBACK

_Kakashi was stunned. The six-year old Chuunin was speechless, for once. His teammates, Obito and Kachi, almost had their jaws on the ground, along with their client, an important lawyer they were supposed to protect from a crime lord's henchmen. Kakashi's jaw would have been just as low as theirs but for his facemask, which only let it hang open in shock for a couple of inches. _Did he just...? No, there's no way he could have..._ But the truth was, his sensei HAD just incapacitated over 25 Chuunin-rank shinobi, with absolutely no jutsus or weapons, in less than 1 minute, with no fatalities. What's more, it didn't even look like he had broken a sweat. Only one thought came to Kakashi's young mind: _Yume-sensei is... COOL!!

"_Boy, these guys picked the wrong day to ambush our client, huh guys?" Yume asked, giving them a fox-like grin. Without any warning, he doubled over._

"_SENSEI!!" Kakashi managed to catch the older man on his back and eased him to the ground. His face looked a little green, and he was holding his stomach. He gave a weak smile to his students._

"_I thought that my flu was gone..." was all he said before losing consciousness._

END FLASHBACK

Kakashi mentally laughed. "We had to carry him to the village and get a doctor-" he was cut off when an acorn his him right between the eyes.

"Veeeery funny, Kakashi." Kakashi gave an o-so-innocent grin.

"What, sensei? I was just informing them of your wondrous history!"

"Smartass, as always." Yume immediately stiffened, as did Hiashi and Kakashi.

"Tousan? What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"DOWN!!" Yume yelled just as a hail of kunai shot through the clearing. Everyone dove to the ground, except for Hiashi.

"KAITEN!!!" The kunai stopped when they were within a foot of Hiashi. Then, he spun rapidly like a top, a dome of solid Chakra formed, spun the kunai around him, and shot them back where they had come from at least twice the speed they had entered the clearing. Several cries of pain sounded from the bushes. A dozen shinobi jumped out of the bushes.

_Jounin, by the looks of them... but what's their village symbol? A music note? Never seen that symbol before..._ Yume looked at Kakashi. "Hey Kakashi. What village are they from? I don't recognize it." Kakashi grunted, and lifted his forehead protector from his left eye.

"Sound. Orochimaru started it after he abandoned Konoha."

"A Sharingan? That means..." Yume trailed off. "That's why I couldn't feel Obito..." Sasuke was speechless.

_SHARINGAN!?! But he's no Uchiha!! HOW in ALL HELLS could he have one!?! _Sasuke was practically panicking. Yume glanced at Kakashi and Hiashi. They both nodded, which meant he was to lead.

"State your purpose." Yume said. The Oto-nin captain stepped forward and sneered.

"But of course, Yondaime-_sama_..." The honorific was filled with spite. "Our purpose was to gather intelligence, but I see we've found something far better. Orochimaru-sama will be quite pleased to hear that you're alive. He's been bemoaning the fact that you killed yourself before he got a chance to repay you for stealing his rightful title of Hokage."

"Rightful my ass." Hiashi spat. "That snake should have been honored to have been a Jounin, for all his crimes."

"Silence, you pompous buffoon! Orochimaru-sama is one of the three Sannin! How dare you-" a Jounin on the end began to speak, but found it very hard to talk with no oxygen getting to his brain. Once he slumped over unconscious, Yume let go of his neck.

"Sorry, but I'm not ready to reveal that I'm still alive yet. So, none of you can leave here alive." All warmth vanished from Yume's eyes, and cold, slate-blue eyes surveyed the stunned Jounin around him. _Looks like that surprised them pretty good._ Yume snapped his fingers and Hiashi and Kakashi charged into the fray. Hiashi hit two at once with his Sixty-four Hands technique, while Kakashi merely gave a few Jounin a chop to the back of the neck, paralyzing them. The remaining Jounin narrowed his eyes, and looked over at the kids.

"If I'm going to die, I'll take the heir with me!!" At blinding speeds, he grabbed Hinata and threw her headlong into a tree. Her skull connected with a resounding crack, and she slid to the ground, motionless. A trail of blood ran down the tree.

"Hinata-chan!!" Naruto ran over to her. "Speak to me Hinata-chan!! Daijobou?" He put his hand on the back of her head and it came away with a spot of blood. Hiashi's eyes narrowed as he activated his Byakugan again.

"For harming my daughter... you shall pay the ultimate price! Hyuuga Forbidden Technique: Eight Hands of Destruction!!"

"CRAP!" Yume yelled. "EVERYONE OUT OF THE CLEARING, _NOW!!!_" Hiashi closed the distance between himself and his opponent in no time at all. He connected his palm with the chest of the other man.

"First Hand!"

"Second Hand!"

"Third Hand!"

"Fourth Hand!"

"Fifth Hand!"

"Sixth Hand!"

"Seventh Hand!"

"Eighth Hand!" Hiashi leapt away from the man, landing in a tree on the edge of the clearing. The man sneered.

"What was that supposed to do, pretty boy? It didn't hurt at all!!" His confident smirk vanished when a large amount of blood spurted from his mouth. Hiashi smirked.

"Goodbye." With that one word, the man explodes in a bright flash of light, leaving a good sized crater in the clearing. Sakura was visibly shaken.

"What... what happened to him?" she managed to get out. Hiashi sighed.

"That is a kinjutsu of the Hyuuga clan. It opens all of the victim's eight celestial gates at once." Haku's face went from pale to green faster than Naruto ate a bowl of ramen, and he stumbled over to the bushes and promptly lost his lunch.

"Haku-kun!" Sakura ran over to him. He was trembling violently.

"Please... please tell me you're joking..." he strangled out. Yume shook his head.

"No, Haku. He's not joking. If someone's eight celestial gates are all opened at once, it turns them into a veritable time bomb. Their body will be overloaded with Chakra and unable to hold all of it in. as a result..." Yume trailed off.

"Ninja go boom, to put it simply." Kakashi lazily stated while reading his book again. Yume could feel a vein pulsing on his forehead.

_I SO have to burn that book... But Jiraiya-sensei'd just get him another one..._ Yume shook his head. He turned to Hiashi, who was examining Hinata. "How is she?" Hiashi looked her up and down with his Byakugan activated.

"She looks alright, no concussion or head trauma, but it's strange..." Yume walked over.

"Nani?"

"Her Chakra flow has reversed." Yume raised both eyebrows and whistled.

"Well THIS ought to be interesting..." Sasuke and Sakura walked over.

"Ano, Yume-sensei? Why should this be interesting?" Sakura asked with a confused expression on her face. Yume shook his head.

"A person's Chakra flow, or more precisely, the way a person's Chakra flows, determines that person's personality. If her flow's reversed, then her personality..."

"...has reversed as well." Sasuke finished quietly. Yume nodded. Hinata groaned as her eyes fluttered open.

"Otousan? What happened?" Hiashi smiled.

"You hit your head pretty hard, Hime-chan. Can you sit up?"

"Un. I think so..." She slowly sat up and rubbed the back of her head. "What happened to the enemy?" Yume stood up.

"We took care of them. They won't be walking anywhere anytime soon." Hinata smiled, and Naruto crouched next to her.

"I'm glad you're alright, Hinata-chan. I was worried." Hinata's face lit up, and she launched herself at Naruto, engulfing him in a hug.

"NARUTO-KUUUN!! You were worried about me?? How sweet!!" Naruto was at a complete loss for what to do. He looked to his father, and noticed he was trying very hard not to burst into laughter. His eyes had tears in them, and he was making muffled snickers behind his hand.

"Ano, are you _sure_ you're feeling alright, Hinata-chan?" She was a little close for his personal comfort. She nuzzled her head in his shoulder and sighed.

"I'm perfectly fine now that my Naruto-kun's here with me." Her cheeks had a small blush, which was nothing compared to Naruto's face that currently resembled a tomato. Kakashi was looking between them and his book, raising an eyebrow. Hinata noticed, and she did something quite unexpected.

"HEY!! DON'T COMPARE US TO WHAT'S IN THAT DIRTY LITTLE BOOK OF YOURS, KAKASHI-SENSEI NO HENTAI!!!" She seemed to have found the voice she had never used during her childhood. She seemed shocked at what she just did, and her hands went to her throat. "I just... shouted..." She said. Hiashi sighed in relief.

_It looks like her Chakra flow is stabilizing again. I told her she needed to be more outspoken, but that was a bit much..._ She now seemed to have reverted back to the old Hinata, except she was still a little more outspoken. Yume clapped his hands once.

"Alright! Let's keep doing the training! I think we'll split you up so you won't be as inclined to distract each other. Sasuke and Sakura, go to that side of the clearing. Naruto and Hinata, the other side. Haku, you just lost your lunch, so you're in no condition to train yet." Said boy closed his mouth before the protest that had been forming could get out. "You want to be a medical ninja, so you should know the limits of the human body." Haku nodded slowly and took out his scroll again. As the kids were walking away, Hiashi gave a sideways glance to his old friend.

"You wouldn't be trying to get them closer together, would you dobe?" Yume smirked.

"Absolutely, jackass. Absolutely." Yume heard another yell of pain, and noticed Naruto landed on his head again. "Why is that boy so much like me?" Hiashi laughed.

"I don't know, but it brings back memories."

This chapter is dedicated to all of you guys who support me even though I'm a lazy son-of-a-gun that never updates!

**One Azn Dragon** – This soon enough? And don't worry, Jiraiya and Tsunade will come back kinda soon.

**Cristy123** – Thanks much!

**Night-Owl123** – Sorry you had to wait so long.

**Place-your-name-here** – yeah, he's kinda scary like that...

**element4life** – I have a plan for the summons, stick with me.

**sephynarutocloud** – Um, gee thanks ;

**Metanaito**-san – You are too special!! I'm not plagiarizing!! looks both ways nervously

**XyoushaX** – Thank you SO MUCH for helping me with that... Yes, I am new to writing ;;;

**Rednal29**-sama – Yes, he is called Yondaime-dono.

**Dragon Man 180** – Thanks!

**Riyo Shiban**-san – Thanks for your entry in my contest! I appreciate your continued support

**Kirin Kage the Shadow Girl** – Thanks very much!

**TimeShifter16** – Me too...

**Hanyou-Ria** – Thankies.

**Gopu**-san – I am honored, my friend!

**Skuld's Sentaro** – Is this long enough?

**LiveLoveLaugh** – Yondaime-dono rules!!

**roque solus** – "All that is holy" huh? Thanks!

**Kai**-san – I will keep it going, whenever I can.

Ja ne! FRI, as always!!


	11. Realizations

Here's the next chapter you guys. Sorry it took so long to get out… o.o;; WARNING!!! MAAAAJOR FLUFF ALERT!!! This chapter is dedicated to all you who told me to get moving with the pairings!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto, it belongs to Kishimoto-sensei. I'd be filthy rich and out of school if I did…

"blah" Human speech

_blah_ Human thought'talking to demon

**"blah"** Demon speech

**_blah_** Demon thought

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"AAAAAAAAAUUGH!!!" Naruto yelled as he slid down the tree again, adding another bump to his already impressive collection on his head. "Aw, man… DAMMIT!!!" he shouted as he threw the kunai into the tree. _It can't be this hard… I'm just climbing a tree!!!_

**"Hey kit, why don't you stop whining and ask Same's carrier for some advice. She seems to have the right idea. I don't want you getting any more addled than you already are."** The fox laughed at his own joke.

_You have no room to talk, you stupid fox!!_ _NOBODY ASKED YOU FOR YOUR OPINION!!!_ Naruto sat up. Hinata walked over to her crush.

"A-A-Are you alright, N-N-Naruto-k-kun?" She kneeled by him and helped him sit up.

"Yeah! It'll take more than a little fall to hurt Uzumaki Naruto!!" he proclaimed as he thrust a hand into the air. Hinata squeaked and fell on her rear, startled by his outburst. "AH! Are you okay Hinata-chan!?" She flushed bright red and nodded. Her eyes traveled to the ground, and Naruto noticed a silvery substance in them. "Hinata-chan, are you… crying?" The girl's shoulders shook as she held in her sobs.

"G-G-Gomen ne, Naruto-k-k-un…" she sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"Hinata-chan, why are you crying!? All you did was fall over!" She drew her knees up to her chest. _N-Now he p-p-p-probably thinks I-I-I'm w-worthless…_

**"Girl, you really need to gain some confidence… Where'd that outburst go!?"** Same berated her from inside her cell in Hinata's mind.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry I'm so w-w-worthless, N-Naruto-kun…" She sniffed again, and tried to hide her face. "I-I'm sure y-y-you'd do b-better with Sasuke-k-san or S-S-Sakura-san as your t-t-training partner… I'm just h-h-holding you b-b-back-" She couldn't talk anymore because of the sobs that racked her body. Naruto was stunned.

_Why is she so down on herself!?_ Kyuubi snorted.

**"Same probably isn't helping her in that regard. That demon has one of the sharpest mouths I've seen yet."** Naruto didn't know why, but seeing Hinata cry like this… made his chest hurt.

_She's… like me._ Naruto realized. _She just wants someone to acknowledge her… Hasn't her dad done it!?_

**"You heard him yourself kit. He told her she was… _precious…_ to him, but based on this, she didn't believe him."** Naruto did what he would have wanted someone to do to him if he was the one crying… He knelt beside her and hugged her from behind.

"Don't cry, Hinata-chan… You're not worthless." She tensed at the contact,, but soon spun around in his arms and sobbed into his shoulder. Naruto was most definitely feeling awkward now. He had no idea what to do with a girl sobbing in his arms, but he remembered what his father had done when he had cried in his lap. He rubbed her back with his hand in a circular motion, and whispered soothing words into her ear. Soon, her shaking slowed, and then stopped. Her sobbing had subsided into sniffing, and as she pulled back, she realized just whose arms she was in. She squeaked audibly and turned a deep, rich red that made one wonder if there was any blood left in the rest of her body. Naruto noticed her blush.

_She's always doing that around me. I wonder why? I mean, Sakura-chan blushes around Sasuke, but she_- Realization hit him like a shovel between the eyes. Kyuubi groaned.

**"NOW he gets it…"** Naruto looked down at the crimson faced girl.

"Hi… Hinata-chan?" Hinata made an _eep_ sound and stopped daydreaming.

_If I'm dreaming, please don't wake me up…_

"What is it, Naruto-kun?"

"Do you like me?" Hinata nearly passed out on the spot. She'd been found out. He knew. Oh lord, he knew. She blushed more, if possible, and slowly nodded.

"Y-Yes…" Naruto's eyes shot open at her quiet answer. "I-I-I have always a-admired you, N-N-Naruto-k-kun. B-Back in the academy, y-y-y-you were always s-so f-full of life and energy. Y-You never gave up. But…" She forced herself to look into his cerulean eyes. _Oh, I could get lost in those if I'm not careful…_ "Y-Your smile… i-i-it was empty… th-there was no ha-ha-happiness behind it. Y-You just smiled to cover up the pain… y-y-you were like m-me… and… I-I-I…" She took a deep breath. "I-I think I l-l-love you, Naruto-k-kun."

"Hinata-chan…" He was shocked. He thought his smile would fool everyone… but she saw right through him. "You… love me…?" Naruto's voice broke at the end of the question. Hinata nodded nervously, and he swept her up in a crushing hug. Hinata was so close to fainting that her vision blacked out for a second or two.

_PLEASE don't let this be a dream!! PLEASE!!_ She begged her mind. Same snickered.

**"It's not a dream, girl. Your Naruto-kun is hugging you."** Hinata started doing cartwheels inside her mind. **_Soon, Kyuubi-kun… Soon I can be with you again…_** Same thought wistfully. The demoness sighed, remembering how long it had been since her love had held her… She had been ecstatic to find Kyuubi's container in the same class as hers at the academy, and much to her delight, the girl fell in love with him instantly. Not a crush, but staggering, deep, endless love.

Kyuubi was having a similar train of thought. **_Soon, Same-chan. I can't wait to hold you in my arms again…_** How he missed the feeling of holding her in his arms… He'd almost done back flips he was so happy when he noticed Same's vessel in his own vessel's class. But, much to his chagrin, the boy was blissfully ignorant, and was smitten with Hane's vessel. **_Ew…_** Now, however, it looked like things were improving. If the tears of joy the kit were crying right now were any indication, then he'd be back with his love soon.

"I love you too, Hinata-chan." Naruto managed to choke out. "God, I've been so blind, so obsessed with Sakura… I didn't notice you." He looked down at the girl in her arms, and found her too shocked to blush. Her eyes were wide open, staring up at him in wonder. He slowly let her go, but kept one arm around her. He leaned back against the tree, and Hinata put her head on his shoulder. Both of them were blissfully happy. Hinata looked up at her crush, no her _love_, and noticed that he was asleep.

_He trained himself into the ground…_

**"Just like Kyuubi-kun used to do."** Same chuckled. Hinata sighed contentedly and snuggled closer. As she drifted into sleep, she thought she heard someone laughing.

##########################SCENE CHANGE##############################

Sasuke ran at the tree again. He had tried before, but he still wasn't as high as Sakura was.

_Her Chakra control is annoyingly perfect…_Sasuke muttered at his demon. Kageryu snorted.

**"What did you expect? Hane's not a slouch when it comes to that. Looks like she's picked that trait up too…"** Kageryu's mind drifted again as he thought of the hawk demoness.

Hey dragon… 

**"What do you want now, hatchling?"**

_How… How do you…_ Sasuke took a deep breath, fighting down the blush that was fighting its way onto his cheeks. _How do you tell a girl you love her?_ The dragon laughed out loud inside his cell.

**"I assume you mean Sakura, right?"** The increase in the boy's blush spoke for him. **"I think that's a 'Yes.' Look brat, just tell her how you feel. Believe it or not, I _have_ been in this situation before. Just tell her. The longer you keep it inside, the harder it will be to tell her."** Sasuke took a breath to calm his nerves, and walked over to her tree.

"Sakura." The dragon winced.

**"Look kid, you love her don't you!? Then call her Sakura-_chan_ for God's sake!!"** Sasuke shook his head doubtfully. It looked like she hadn't heard him.

"Sakura…chan." He called her louder this time. Sakura's ears perked up.

_Am I hearing things!? I thought I heard Sasuke-kun call me Sakura-CHAN!!_ Hane's breath caught in her throat.

**_Kageryu-kun must have talked to him!!_** She was elated and practically danced inside her cell. **"No, I heard it too. He really DID call you Sakura-chan."** Sakura slid down the tree, willing her blush to lessen, if not vanish. She landed, and turned to Sasuke.

"What is it, Sasuke-kun?" _Is that a… SASUKE-KUN'S BLUSHING!!!!_ Sakura screamed inside her mind. Hane winced because of the sheer volume.

"I… There's something… I need to tell you, Sakura-chan…" Sasuke forced himself to say the words, but he couldn't make himself look into her eyes. "I think…" He swallowed nervously. _Dammit, why am I so nervous!?_ He took a deep breath and continued. "I think… that… What I mean to say is…" He clenched his fist until he drew blood. The pain helped him focus, it drew his attention to it so he could say what he wanted. "You are… a precious person to me… And… I want to be closer to you… I'm sorry that I push you away… but I wanted to protect you…"

"I love you too, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura blurted. Sasuke's eyes widened and he blushed. "I mean, I'm not just some obsessed fangirl…I really do love you… ever since I saw you…" Sasuke drew in a breath and stepped closer to her. Hesitantly, he put an arm around her shoulders. Sakura shot all the way up to cloud nine. _SASUKE-KUN IS HUGGING ME!!! HE'S GOT HIS ARM AROUND ME!!!_ Hane laughed.

"Hey. Look at that." Sasuke pointed with his free hand across the clearing. Sakura looked over in that direction, and squealed.

"AWWW!!! They're so kawaii like that!!" Hinata and Naruto were asleep, and Naruto had an arm around Hinata while she had nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck. Yume walked over to them.

"You kids done?" At their nods, he looked at the trees and whistled. "You made it to the top, Sakura-chan!?"

"Yeah." Sakura said nervously.

"Phenomenal! That's great! I've never seen someone make it to the top on the first day! You're getting the hang of it too, Sasuke-kun. That's pretty high up there!"

"Ano, Yume-san? How high could you get?" Yume laughed.

"I wound up just like Naruto." Sakura sweatdropped and Sasuke smirked.

"Your son is in quite the comfy position." Yume looked over.

"Ah, kid works fast!" He looked at the other Genins out of the corner of his eyes. "Kinda like someone else, ne?" Both of them blushed a furious crimson. Yume walked over to his son, and the others followed. Hinata stirred. "Hinata-chan, sorry to wake you, but you and prince charming need to get up." Hinata's eyes flew open, and saw where she was. Her face matched Sakura's dress in color, and she let out a loud _eep_ noise again. Naruto stirred.

"… Comfy…" was all he said. At this Hinata blushed even more and squealed.

"N-Naruto-kun!!" Naruto's eyes finally opened.

"Hm? Oh, heya Hinata-chan. Sleep well?" He heard a snickering noise. "Something you wanna share, tousan?" Yume shook his head.

"Nah. But, it's getting late, and all you kids need to go home. We'll meet back here tomorrow morning, say around eight?" Hiashi stood.

"Let's go home, Hime-chan." Hinata nodded, and stood.

"Matte, Hinata-chan!" Naruto stood and pecked her on the cheek. Hinata properly flushed and started stammering. Hiashi laughed softly, and gently pulled his stunned daughter behind him.

"Will you walk me home, Sasuke-kun?"

"Aa." Sakura grabbed onto Sasuke's arm, and they walked out of the clearing.

"Ne, Tousan? Where's your house?" Naruto asked him and he helped Haku stand. Yume laughed.

"Naruto, we've been on my property for a long time now. This is one of my training fields on the edge of my property."

"NANI!?!" Yume motioned for the boys to follow him. After about three minutes of walking, they came upon a huge mansion. "SUGEEE!!! THIS IS YOUR HOUSE!?!" Naruto cried.

"Yeah, it is." His eyes narrowed. _Someone's been taking care of it… the lawn's freshly cut, and there's no dust on the windows…_ He walked up to the door, and the boys numbly followed, still shocked at the house. Yume threw the door open, and there was a figure standing there. She gasped, and dropped the tray she was holding.

"Yume-kun… Is that you…?" she asked. Naruto's spine shivered. The woman's voice was almost musical. It made him want to go and sit in that person's lap, tell her all of his troubles. Yume's shoulders went rigid, and his eyes almost bulged out of his head.

"No… it can't be… Natsumi-chan!?"

##########################SCENE CHANGE##############################

HA!! I bet you weren't counting on that one, were you!?

**sephynarutocloud** – Um, thanks…

**Night-Owl123** – Many thanks!

**Metanaito**-chan – Too true, too true…

**Kirin**** Kage the Shadow Girl** – Yeah, I knew that would get some laughs.

**Riyo Shiban** – It was waaaay OOC, but who cares?

**Rednal 29**-sama – Yeah, I tried to make that realistic. There's Kakashi for you… Hey, it was my first one! So sue me

**Dragon Man 180** – People really like Hinata like that!! I wonder why…? I think I may make her keep some of her more violent side… She's just too darn quiet in the anime/manga!!

**rogue solus** – I'm trying, I'm trying…

**element4life** – Thank you kindly

**GreatMarta** – I got sick of people potraying Hiashi as an insensitive, uncaring jerkwad. And Kazara Yume is MY name for the fourth, there is no official one yet.

**nonengel** – Thank you for your support!

**Gopu**-san – Domo arigato!

**Skuld's Sentaro** – lol Thanks!

**The Shinobi** – That was a compliment, right? Just kidding. Thanks!

**nightmares of death** – Many thanks!

**X-Mirai-X** – I never thought of doing that… (starts plotting) You people really like Hinata being loud, don't you!?

**Magicians of the Yami** – No, I'm not giving up on this story. Thank you very much for your support!

So, here's the deal. Everyone told me/asked me to keep Hinata more outspoken and violent. This will be an official vote. You people tell me what you want: Hinata like she should be (quiet, shy), or reversed like in Chapter 10. Let me know, and I shall grant the majority's request!


	12. Impossible Or Is It?

Oy... My legs feel like lead... I can't move fast. Anyway, here's the next one. Many thanks to all you reviewers.

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Yume's mind was numb. His wife, and love, was standing in front of him, but...

_This can't be happening... Natsumi-chan is dead... I watched her die!!_ The woman took a tentative step forward.

"Yume-kun...? Are you alright, koi? You look like you've seen a ghost." Yume nodded.

"I have. There's no way you could be her. She died! I WATCHED HER DIE!! SHE-" He stopped his rant mid-yell. His shoulders slumped.

"I... am such... an IDIOT!!!" The woman giggled at his outburst.

"I just went into a deathlike trance, koi. Tsunade-sama came and pulled me out of it. She saved your life too, you know." Yume walked closer.

"I know one way to make sure that you're my wife."

"Oh? What is that?"

"This." Yume grabbed her in his arms and claimed her mouth with his, flowing all of his pent-up passion into the kiss. Natsumi silently moaned and leaned into the kiss with just as much fervor and passion. After about a minute, they came up for air.

"Yeah." Yume said breathlessly. "You're Natsumi alright." He hugged her with one arm, and kept it around her shoulders.

"I never thought I could hold you again..." He set her down, and motioned Naruto over.

"Naruto, this is your mother, Kazara Natsumi." Naruto slowly walked over in a trancelike state. The woman in front of him was, in a word, stunning. Pale golden hair reached down to her ankles in shimmering waves. Her face was pure and creamy, her eyes were a pale blue, but they held an unimaginable depth of kindness and love inside them. She was dressed in a pale pink kimono with white trim. Her head only came up to the middle of Yume's chest, and her body seemed thin, almost fragile, like she would break if you hugged her too hard. Naruto's vision was suddenly blurry, and he realized that he was crying again.

"K...Kaachan?" Naruto's voice broke on the end of the word as he choked it out of hit throat. The woman nodded with tears in her eyes and opened her arms. Naruto ran into them without hesitation.

"KAACHAN!!!" Naruto wailed as he threw himself at her.

"My boy!!" She cried as he held him, tears coming down her rosy cheeks. "My brave little boy! I'm so sorry!! I wanted nothing more than to come and rescue you from that hellhole you lived in, but I couldn't! Sarutobi-san forbade me from revealing myself..." She hugged him closer. "I always sent you flowers on your birthday, remember?" Naruto gasped. It was her... She was the one... He had gotten an anonymous bundle of flowers on his birthday every year.

_So it was my mother... who sent those..._ He hugged her harder, reflexively. She kissed the top of his head and rubbed his back.

"But now... I'm here for you, and that's never going to change." Haku watched from the other side of the room, feeling rather... _alone_.

_Naruto-san... He has a family now..._ he thought sadly, but oddly happy at the same time. _I guess I should find somewhere else to stay..._ Tsume snorted.

**("What the hell do you mean cub?")** He had been almost insane with happiness when the vessel of his blood brother rescued his vessel. **("What makes you think he doesn't want you around!?")** Naruto finally stopped crying, and let go of his mother. He noticed Haku standing by himself.

"Hey Haku! C'mon over here and meet Kaachan!!" Haku nervously walked over and bowed to the woman. He wasn't sure what to think, how she would treat him.

"Konnichiwa, Natsumi-san." She smiled and looked down at the boy.

"Are you Naruto's friend?"

"Hai. Naruto-san rescued me when we were both younger. I have no greater wish than to make sure that he's happy and that his dreams are fulfilled." Unexpectedly, she knelt down and hugged him as well.

"You're more than welcome to stay with us, Haku." Tears stung Haku's eyes as he was enveloped in the hug. Nobody had done this before. Naruto-san had hugged him, but it wasn't the same. Here, in this woman's arms, he felt perfectly safe, like everything would be fine, like nothing bad could happen. He blinked back the tears and hugged her back. Natsumi stood after a while and smiled at the boys.

"Sarutobi-san told me you would be coming back today. I hope you boys are hungry, because I made my special dinner." Yume almost jumped through the roof.

"What the hell are we waiting for!? Come on kids!!" Yume shot into the dining room at a high rate of speed leaving a trail of dust. Natsumi laughed and followed at a normal pace, followed by the boys. They entered the room and Naruto had hearts for eyes. Haku's jaw almost hit the ground. There was an impossible amount of food laid out on the table. Yume was already seated and was trembling with anticipation. Naruto dashed to a seat next to his father, and Haku walked and sat next to Natsumi.

"Itadakimasu!!" Cheered Yume and Naruto in unison. At the first bite, Naruto knew he had died and gone to heaven. The food was the best thing he had ever tasted, and he started shoveling it in his mouth. Yume was inhaling the food.

_Lord, I missed this taste._ He enjoyed the savory taste and perfect flavoring.

"Eat up, you boys must be hungry from training all day." Natsumi said with a smile. She began eating at a normal speed.

"Ne, Kaachan?" Naruto asked with his mouth full of food.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Naruto." Both Haku and Natsumi said at the same time. Yume laughed. Naruto swallowed and gave them a good-natured glare.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" Natsumi asked with a smile on her face.

"Are you a ninja like Tousan?" She smiled sadly.

"Iie." She looked at her hands. "I wanted nothing more than to be a ninja as a little girl. I caught an illness when I was seven. I was supposed to die, or at least go blind, but I somehow survived, but not without a price. My body was too weak to be a ninja then. Too frail." She leaned her head on Yume's shoulder. "But Yume-kun came to see me in the hospital. He told me that he'd be a good enough ninja for both of us. That's when I fell in love with your father." She giggled. "He was quite the prankster." Yume smirked.

"I wouldn't say that..." She gave him a playful smack on the head.

"You painted graffiti all over the Hokage monument, you baka." Naruto laughed.

"I did that too!! About two weeks ago!" Natsumi gave her son a scolding about respecting the legacy of the Hokages, but Yume was howling with laughter, holding his sides. Dinner progressed normally after that, if you call Yume and Naruto eating their own body weight normal. Yume belched contentedly as he picked his teeth.

"'Scuse me. Ah, that was good... I'd forgotten how good of a cook you are, koi." Natsumi smiled and stood to clear the table. Naruto jumped up.

"I got it Kaachan!" He made a few Kage Bunshin and they carried all of the dishes into the kitchen. Natsumi's eyes widened.

"He knows that at his age!?"

"Yeah, and he uses it like it's an elementary Jutsu or something. Go figure, the kid can't do normal Bunshin no Jutsu or Kawarimi no Jutsu, but he can do a Jounin level Jutsu like that." Yume stood.

"NARUTO-SAN!!" Haku's angry voice carried into the dining room. Yume and Natsumi peeked into the kitchen. Naruto had apparently splashed Haku. Haku reached his hand into the sink and pulled out a ball of water, which he proceeded to hit Naruto with in his face.

"ACKPTH!!" Naruto spluttered and wiped the water out of his eyes. He pointed accusatorily at the other boy. "NO FAIR USING YOUR BLOOD LIMIT!!" Natsumi's eyes ogled again.

"He..." Yume smiled.

"Yeah, he's an orphan, but he's got a blood limit. Go figure." Yume stretched. "Okay you two, time to get ready for bed!"

"NANI!? But it's early Tousan!!" Yume grinned evilly and Natsumi chuckled while Naruto and Haku gulped.

"You'll need your rest for tomorrow, trust me. Besides! We haven't set up your rooms! Follow me." Yume walked down a hallway with Natsumi at his side. Naruto dried his face with his sleeve and the boys followed. Yume opened a door.

"This is your room, Naruto." Naruto's jaw hit the floor as he looked inside. The whole ROOM was bigger than his old apartment! There was a door leading to an adjoining bathroom, and a king-size bed sat in the corner. In another corner, there was a large desk with shelves full of scrolls, and the room had a luxurious orange carpet. Naruto walked into the bathroom and there was a large porcelain tub, an ornate sink, and a toilet, as well as other necessities. All of his stuff from the apartment was in the middle of the room on the floor.

"This... is all for me?" Yume nodded.

"What can I say, it pays to be in my family sometimes. Haku, your room's right across the hall." Haku walked across and opened the door to an almost identical room, only his had light blue carpet. Yume smiled.

"You boys should get ready for bed, because I'm going to be training you into the ground tomorrow." Both of the kids paled, and nodded. Naruto walked back over to his mother and gave her a hug. She kissed his head and shooed him into his room.

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Naruto dried himself off after a nice, hot bath.

_Maaaaan... That was soooo relaxing... It felt so good..._Naruto stretched his arms above his head. _I can't remember the last time I took a bath like that._

**("How about, never?")** Kyuubi gave a silent sigh of relief. **("I must admit, kit, that was quite... enjoyable.")**

_You feeling okay, fox? You almost sound HAPPY._ The fox growled. Naruto pulled his pajamas on and went to the huge bed. _His_ bed, as unlikely as that seemed. As Naruto slipped under the blanket, the door opened.

"What's wrong, kaachan?" Naruto asked as Natsumi walked into the room.

"I thought you might want to be tucked in." she said with a smile. Naruto's heart did a backflip. He blinked back tears as he nodded. Natsumi smiled and walked over to the bed, tucked him in comfortably, and kissed his forehead. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him.

"Kaachan?"

"Nani?"

"Would you... would you sing me a lullaby?" Naruto asked with a trembling voice. She smiled, and began singing. Her voice was beautiful, and it sounded like an angel was singing.

_Think of me every day_

_Hold tight to what I say_

_And I'll be close to you_

_Even from far away._

_Know that wherever you are_

_It is never too far_

_When you think of me_

_I'll be with you._

She kept singing, and there was something magical about the song. Even though he fought to stay awake, Naruto eventually succumbed to the magical song and fell into sleep.

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Natsumi closed the door to her son's room. Yume was standing in the hallway, and he walked up to her.

"I feel so badly, Yume-kun. All this time I was alive, and he never knew..." Yume put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her close.

"It's not your fault, koi. You were forbidden, although I still don't understand why..."

"Right after you had sealed, Sarutobi-sama called for Tsunade-san. She came as fast as she could when she heard you were involved. She arrived just in time to make sure I could pull out of the deathlike state. She said I almost didn't make it..." Yume hugged her closer, and she relished the feeling of being encircled by his loving arms again.

"You were even closer to dying. Tsunade-san was the one who came up with the plan to give energy to the demon so there was a chance of its soul being taken instead. Looks like it worked." She smiled up at her lover, and he smiled tenderly back.

"We can never undo the past, Natsumi-chan. What's done is done. But, we can make sure that their future is happier." Natsumi raised an eyebrow.

"Since when did you get so wise?" Yume shrugged.

"It comes and goes, I think. Now..." Yume raised his eyebrows with a smirk on his face.

"I think we have a whole lot of catching up to do!!" Yume swept her up in his arms, and she yipped in surprise.

"Yume-kun!!" Yume just laughed an carried his wife into their bedroom. "Are you SURE you're not a pervert!?!"

"Just because Jiraiya-san is doesn't mean I am. Now... where were we?" With that, he kicked the door shut as he claimed her lips once again.

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Yeah. I seem to be putting more fluff in lately Oo Oh, **Dragon Man 180**-san made a good point in their review. Yes, the demons do have human forms, and that will be explained in greater detail in later chapters.

**Kirin Kage the Shadow Girl** – Yeah, I'll find a way to make it work

**element4life** – Yes, that could work... Thanks for your input.

**Magicians of the Yami** – Arigato!

**Metanaito**-san – Indeed.

**Mori Kita** – Nice try, but your opinion has been duly noted. (I think so too.)

**Skuld's Sentaro** – Yes, Natsumi is Naruto's mom if nobody figured that out ;;;

**Place-your-name-here** – You read the chapter, in theory, so I'm not going to explain it.

**GreatMarta**-sama – Once again, I am still honored.

**Lady-Frisselle** – Thank you, and I appreciate your input.

**Gopu**-san – Arigato!

**Sephynarutocloud** – NEW PLOT!?! Have faith, my friend! The plot shall accelerate soon!

**Dragon Man 180**-san – Yes, she will have a little more of a spine, and that llittle will eventually grow. Thanks for noticing the plot hole (smacks head against desk)

**Night-Owl123** – Sorry it took so long!!

**HinatasBiggestFanBoy** – Yeah, I surprised a lot of people with that!! (evil laugh) Thanks for reading!

**Ah-choo** – Thank you, and I will announce the result in the next chapter.

**nonengel** – Yes, Yume has a slightly sadistic sense of humor.

**Scorpio V1.2** – Thank you. I didn't steal stuff and/or other people's ideas, I've had this fic in my head for about six months, but I'm just now getting it out...

**Toki Mirage**-san – Um, yah. Sorry I didn't update sooner!! Here you go. Oyasuminasai yourself, friend.

**X-Mirai-X** – I wasn't intending for a HakuTenten pairing, but thanks anyway! I'm leaning towards a HakuIno or maybe a HakuTemari. Thanks!

**All Anonymous Reviewers** – ARIGATO GOZAIMASU!!! I can't express my gratitude enough, and if I zcknowledged you all... Weeeell, let's just say my attention span isn't that long!!

Wow. So long... XP

**_NEXT CHAPTER:_** We find out what kind of torture- er, I mean _training_, Yume has in mind for the kids. And, drumroll please... the kids actually sign the contracts to summon!! Kept ya waiting long enough, eh?


	13. Conversations and Contracts

Boy, look at me! I'm on a roll!! Two chapters in a row! ;;; Anyway, I'm tinkering with my writing style, so try and bear with me, k?

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Naruto stirred. He was... he couldn't remember where he was. He heard a door open, and he burrowed deeper into the comfy bed.

_COMFY BED!?!_ He heard someone walk over to him, and then he felt a kiss on his forehead.

"Rise and shine, my boy..." an angelic voice told him, "or you'll miss breakfast." Naruto shot up to a sitting position and stared at the woman in front of him.

"Kaachan..." he said as tears welled up in his eyes. She smiled and sat on his bed.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" He didn't say anything but immediately latched himself onto her.

"It wasn't a dream! _It wasn't a dream!!_" He hugged his mother tightly. She lovingly encircled her arms around him.

"No, it wasn't a dream, Naruto-kun. I'm here for you, and your dad's waking Haku-kun up-" She was cut off by a yelp coming from the other room, followed by the sound of Yume's guffawing laughter.

"YUME-SAN!!!" Haku screeched.

"What, never been woken by wedgie before Haku?" He started laughing again. Naruto sweatdropped and looked up at his mother.

"Does tousan always wake people like that?" She just giggled.

"Yeah, most of the time. Now hurry up and get dressed, your friends are coming over for breakfast."

"NANI!? Why didn't you say so!?" Naruto jumped out of bed and scrambled around the room. Natsumi laughed quietly and walked out.

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Sakura yawned as she walked to the Hyuuga compound. Her feet were dragging as she walked, and her eyes wouldn't stay open.

Man, I'm sooo tired right now... 

**("Not my fault you _had_ to stay up that late primping yourself for your Sasuke-kun. Besides, kunoichi should be beautiful, but not overly so. How the hell do you expect to do unarmed Taijutsu with your nails done!?")** Sakura flinched at Hane's words. She knew the demoness was right, but...

_But I just wanted to look good enough for Sasuke-kun..._ Hane would have pulled some of her feathers out if she didn't have an enormous amount of patience, for a demon anyway.

**("What do you think he's going to want, some foofy, dainty little princess or someone who's not afraid to fight alongside him!?!")** Sakura winced again.

_You're right, you're right..._ Sakura sighed as she reached the door.

"Ohayou, Haruno-san." One of the guards greeted her. She smiled back at him.

"Ohayou, Hyuuga-san."

"Please, enter. Hiashi-sama and Hinata-sama are waiting for you." the other guard said as he opened the door for her. She thanked him and walked inside. She saw Hinata and ran over to her.

"Ohayou Hinata-chan!" Hinata unexpectedly spun around and hugged her.

"Ohayou Sakura-chan!!" She quickly let go and stepped back.

"Gomen ne, but I've been having outbursts like that..." Sakura shook her head.

"Iie, its fine! You just surprised me is all. Ohayou Hiashi-san!" Sakura said, bowing to the older man.

"Ohayou, Sakura. Once Sasuke arrives, we can leave."

"Here." came the monosyllabic reply from the raven-haired youth leaning against the door. Hiashi nodded, stood, and walked out of the house, followed by the children. Sakura was walking alongside Sasuke when something unexpected happened. He tentatively offered his hand to her, a light blush staining his face. Sakura's heart felt like it would explode.

_HE'S OFFERING ME HIS HAAAAAAAND!!!_ she practically crowed. She quickly took it in her own, and the two of them walked together, both blushing slightly.

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_Why the hell did I do that??_ Sasuke was flipping out inside his mind. Kageryu chuckled.

**("Admit it, hatchling, you love the girl.")**

_NO!! Love makes you weak!!_ Kageryu laughed.

**("Wrong. Why the hell do you think Yondaime-baka is such an amazing ninja?")** Sasuke thought hard. All truth be told, he didn't know that much about Naruto's father, other than what they had learned in history class at the Academy.

**("Why don't you ask him today, if you get the chance. His answer might surprise you.")**

_Double-damned dragon..._Kageryu just laughed. Sasuke shifted his focus back to the real world, and he couldn't help but notice how nice it felt to hold her hand. It felt so... natural. He absently wondered how nice it would feel to sit close to one another and snuggle—

_GAH!!! NONONONONONONO!!!!_ Sasuke mentally kicked himself hard.

"Daijoubu, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked him, giving him a funny look. He gave his standard noncommittal grunt, but something made him say more, something inside him that got upset when she looked sad.

"I'm fine. Just thinking." Sakura smiled happily, and Sasuke futilely tried to quash the forming blush on his face. She giggled, and they both looked forward when Hinata gasped. Sasuke's jaw would have hit the ground if it hadn't been held firmly in place by his self control. As it was, the only indication of his surprise was a long, low whistle that escaped his lips.

"WHAT THE HELL!?!" Sakura practically screamed. "YOU MEAN _THIS_ IS NARUTO'S HOUSE!?!" No, Sasuke decided that "house" wasn't the word to describe it. It was a huge mansion, with lord knows how many rooms and passages. What looked like a dojo was alongside the house to the left, and it was well used, covered in scratches and roughed up in general. Hiashi walked up to the door and knocked. The door was opened by... an angel. That was the only thing that came to Sasuke's mind. The beautiful woman looked to be about five and a quarter feet tall, with kind blue eyes. Long, pale golden tresses flowed off of her head in waves, and cascaded down her back almost to the ground. She seemed to radiate a sense of warmth, a feeling of peace...

"Ohayou, Hiashi-kun!" The woman said with a bright smile. She hugged him and pecked his cheek. He laughed.

"You look well, Natsumi-chan. How have you been this month?" She stepped back, and started to reply when they were interrupted.

"HIASHI-TEMEEE!!! YOU KNEW SHE WAS ALIVE DIDN'T YOU!!!" Yume flew out of the door and tackled him to the ground, where they proceeded to wrestle and roll over one another.

"OF COURSE I KNEW, DOBE!! YOU NEVER ASKED!!"

"WHY YOU!!! OOOHH, I'M GONNA REARRANGE YOUR FACE!!! HOLD STILL!!"

"YOU!? REARRANGE _MY_ FACE!?! HAH!! LIKE THAT COULD HAPPEN!!"

"_THAT DOES IT!!!_ I'M GONNA KICK YOU SO HARD YOU'LL HAVE TO PEE OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!!!" The two men were glaring at one another as they shouted and wrestled.

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"THAT'S ASSUMING I DON'T HIT YOUR HEAD SO HARD YOU HAVE TO TALK OUT OF YOUR ASS!!! OH WAIT, YOU CAN DO THAT _YOURSELF_, CAN'T YOU!?!" Hinata was speechless again. Her father, one of the most soft-spoken, reserved, self-controlled people she knew, was rolling around in the dirt with her crush's father, trading insults and screaming at the top of their lungs.

_What's wrong with tousan!?_ Hinata asked her demon worriedly.

**("Nothing's wrong with him...")** Same growled out, then sighed frustratedly.

**("Some people are only capable of expressing themselves through a false, friendly violence. Like what those two bakas are doing.")** Hiashi currently had Yume in a headlock, but Yume was pulling hard on Hiashi's hair with his free hand. Hinata had to admit, it was sort of funny...

"What the hell is going on!?" Naruto yelled from the porch as he walked outside.

"Nothing important, dobe." A vein pulsed on Naruto's temple.

"WHAT WAS THAT SASUKE-TEME!?!" Without another word, Naruto tackled Sasuke to the ground and engaged in a similar wrestling match to his father's. Sakura leaned over and whispered into Hinata's ear.

"I think they've all lost it."

"_NO WE HAVEN'T!!!_" the four boys simultaneously shouted. The beautiful woman who had opened the door just laughed.

"Boys, boys! That's enough, settle down!" She held Yume back from Hiashi, and even though Hinata knew he could probably get out of the woman's grip fairly easily, he stayed where he was.

"Thanks for looking after her while I was out, jackass."

"You're welcome, dobe." The two men dusted themselves off and shook hands like nothing had happened. Sakura and Hinata walked over and pulled their respective crushes off of one another. The woman smiled.

"If you boys are done fighting, breakfast is ready." Yume livened up immediately.

"YOSH!!" He rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Food-for-brains..." Hiashi muttered with a smile on his face.

"Ain't that the truth." said a new voice from the doorway. The man leaning against the doorframe was tall. Very tall. His long white hair hung down his back in a spiky mess, and his forehead protector had the kanji for "oil" printed on it. He had a large scroll slung over his shoulder, and had red stripes painted on his face. Yume rolled his eyes.

"You're late again. You were supposed to be here yesterday to help supervise the training."

"It couldn't be helped." The white-haired man said as a blush stained his face.

"There was RESEARCH to be done!!" Yume's eye twitched. The man struck a pose, and introduced himself with an idiotic dance.

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Naruto's patience level was always low, but something about this guy wore it down even faster. Yume walked over to the man and hit him on the head, interrupting his... _unique_ dance.

_WHO THE HELL!?!_ Kyuubi screamed with frustration from inside his cage.

("HIM!!! KIT, GIVE CONTROL NOW, I'M BEGGING YOU!!! I NEEEED TO KILL HIM!!!")

_Not that I don't agree with you that he's stupid, but shouldn't we find out who he is before we kill him? We know his name's Jiraiya..._ Suddenly something clicked in Naruto's mind. The man his father said raised him...

"Kids, this is Jiraiya-san. He's _supposed to be_ a sannin, but he never acts like one." Yume said.

"Beautiful way of showing gratitude to someone who raised you like a son."

"Oh, and you were the _ideal_ father, I forgot. I mean, someone isn't a true father unless they're drunk off their ass most of the day and spend the precious little time they're sober peeking in women's bathhouses all over the continent!!" Yume replied hotly. Jiraiya looked behind Yume and saw Naruto standing there.

"That midget yours, Yume?" Naruto snapped at the casual question.

"LOOK, ERO-OJIISAN!!! My name's Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm going to be the next Hokage of Konohagakure!! AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!!"

"Ano, Yume-san?" Hinata's question broke the glaring match that had broken out between Jiraiya and Naruto.

"Nani, Hinata-chan?"

"Who is the lady there?" Yume smiled brightly.

"Ah, I was wondering who was going to be the first to ask that. Kids, this is Kazara Natsumi-chan, my wife." He pecked her on the cheek.

"She's my kaachan!" Naruto exclaimed enthusiastically. Haku walked outside gingerly, and grimaced slightly with each step. Natsumi smacked Yume on the head.

"You hurt him!!"

"How was I supposed to know the kid never had a wedgie before!?"

"Just because you gave a wedgie to Sarutobi-san before doesn't mean you can do it to everyone!!" Natsumi scolded him. Hinata and Sakura looked at each other numbly.

"I didn't know Naruto had a mother..." Sakura mumbled.

"Me either." Hinata murmured.

"Hn." Was all the ever-talkative Uchiha said. Yume turned back to the kids.

"Well, let's have breakfast, and then we'll get started on the next phase of training."

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All the kids were satiated with good food.

"Ah, that was great..." Naruto said leaning back.

"I think it's better than my mom's..." Sakura admitted. Even Sasuke couldn't keep the contented smile from his face. Yume stood, and walked out of the room.

"C'mon kids. Let's go to the basement for a while." The kids looked at each other nervously, got up and followed him. Natsumi looked worriedly at Hiashi.

"Do you think they'll be alright?"

"Don't worry. Yume wouldn't do anything to endanger those kids. He's not that stupid." He sipped idly on his tea.

"Is he going to have them talk to their demons?" Hiashi gave a slow nod, and sipped his tea again.

"Most likely. I'd forgotten how nice your cooking and tea are, Natsumi-chan." She merely giggled.

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Yume walked down the stairs, into the foreboding darkness of his basement.

"I set everything up last night." He flicked the lights on, and revealed the subject of his labors. Engraved on the floor was an elaborate five-point star, with a circle at each end and one in the middle. Runes in an unknown language, as well as kanji, were engraved along the lines of the symbol, and the whole star was enclosed in a pentagon, which was enclosed inside a double circle.

"What is this, Yume-san?" Haku asked nervously.

"This, is a rune circle. It's much more complicated than a standard one, because a standard one would never be able to do what we need."

"You're going to have us talk with our demons." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Very good, Sasuke. In a manner of speaking, yes, that's right. No more questions, you'll see what I mean in a minute. Naruto, you're in that circle. Sakura, that one, then Sasuke, Hinata, and Haku, you're in the last one." The kids went to their assigned circle and sat down inside. Yume walked into the circle in the center.

"Go ahead, Jiraiya-san. Close your eyes, kids." Jiraiya performed hand seals blazingly fast and touched the edge of the outermost circle, and then, there was blackness.

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"Itai... my head..." Naruto moaned as he sat up.

"**What in all hells!?"** Naruto turned to see who had spoken, and froze. The man sitting next to him had fiery red-orange hair. He was wearing a red outfit, similar to a gi, but with long sleeves. The man stood, and he looked almost as tall as Yume. Naruto noticed a pair of fox ears on top of his head, as well as nine bushy red tails that came out of the man's clothing at the base of his back. His eyes were a blood red color that gave Naruto the creeps.

"K-Kyuubi!?" The man looked down and saw Naruto.

"**You look surprised, kit. Didn't think I had a human form?"** Naruto shook his head as he stood up.

"Never really thought about it much." They both heard footsteps and looked in the direction they were coming from.

"Your ass is wet, dobe." Naruto grimaced.

"So's yours, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto looked up at the man following Sasuke in the pale light of the room. He looked even taller than Kyuubi, and was dressed in a sleeveless robe that was black with a scale pattern in white. His hair was the color of midnight, and his eyes also had cat-like pupils, only they were bright green in color. A scaly tail was dragging on the ground behind him, and there was a pair of horns pointing backward on the top of his head.

"**Kageryu!!"** Kyuubi walked over to the other man quickly.

"**Kyuubi, my brother! How have you been these past years?"**

"**I bet you've been better off. Your container's no brainless idiot."**

"HEY!!!" said brainless idiot interrupted.

"I heard them over this way!" Sakura's voice drifted over to the boys. She ran over and stopped next to Sasuke. She was followed quickly by a beautiful woman in a miko outfit. She had rich brown hair that reached her shoulders, and her eyes were a piercing blue that seemed to look right through you, and her pupils were slits as well. A pair of large, brown-feathered wings grew from her shoulders.

"**KAGERYU-KUN!!!"** Hane practically launched herself at the dragon demon.

"**HANE!!"** He grabbed her in his arms and claimed her mouth in a fierce kiss.

"**Yeesh, get a room you two."** Kyuubi muttered. Both Sasuke and Sakura were flushed, because a certain amount of connection existed between the demons and their companions. A single thought was running through both of their minds.

_I wonder what it would feel like to do that with Sasuke-kun/Sakura?_ Kyuubi started when he found a pair of legs wrapped around his waist, and a pair of arms encircling his chest, as well as two large, pillowy things mush into his back.

"**Not a bad idea, foxie."** The voice purred into his ear.

"**You wanna let go so I can turn around and see you, Same?"** The demoness complied, and loosed her hold on Kyuubi. Naruto... got an eyeful. Where the other demons had been wearing traditional clothing, the shark demoness... Hinata walked up to Naruto, her face stained a deep shade of crimson. Same wasn't wearing anything to be considered decent. She was wearing a bikini top that was struggling to hold in her two most noticeable features, and a skirt that stopped almost six inches above her knees. Her skin was a light blue color, and her hair a darker shade. She had gill markings at the base of her neck, and her eyes were a white color, so the black slit of her pupils stood out clearly. A dorsal fin stood out in the middle of her back, and she smiled predatorily, revealing _very_ sharp teeth.

"**I missed you, kitsune."**

"**And I you, my demon of the sea."**

"**I'm surprised the four of you aren't already on the floor! I thought you surely would have gotten busy before now!"** A massive beast of a man walked up. Muscles covered every visible inch of his body. A parka and matching pants were stretched almost comically tight over the man's bulging musculature. He must have stood at least eight feet tall. Shaggy white hair was clumped on top of his head, and white stubble adorned a face marred by several scars. His light brown eyes danced with laughter.

"**Oh, shut up, Tsume. Oooohhh, Kageryu-kun, that feels sooooo nice..."** Sasuke made a strangled noise, and Sakura's knees were shaking, arms hanging limp at her sides as she whimpered softly. Haku ran over and helped to support the girl. Yume walked into the pale light and clapped his hands once.

"Okay, that's enough. Hane, stop messing with Sakura's nervous system. You all know damn well that those kids feel everything you do in here." Kyuubi snickered darkly.

"**I assume there's a good reason you've called us here? Other than making out, of course. I don't suppose there'd be time for a little-"** Same started.

"No."

"**Aw, just five minutes!!"**

"No."

"**Three minutes? ONE minute!?"**

"NO means NO, Same. And don't think your assets can tempt me, even if you do specialize in seduction." The demoness grumbled, and Kageryu and Hane disentangled themselves.

"You alright over there Sakura?" She could only nod, the alien feelings still flooding her system. "It'll wear off soon. The reason I called you here is to make a deal."

"**Continue."** Kageryu said, narrowing his eyes.

"I want you to be willing to give your power to the children when they ask for it. All of the demons objected with varying degrees of obscenity, save one.

"**Very well."** Kyuubi said.

"**NANI!?!"**

"**Kyuubi, how could you!?"** Kyuubi turned and faced Hane.

"**You mean you can't tell? There's no way we'll get out again, Hane. Never. Once he sealed us with that cursed seal, we were doomed to be trapped here until we merge with these kids. I guess... we'll have to make the most of it..."** Yume smiled sadly.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry I had to seal you in them, but you left me with no choice. I'll pull us back to the real world once you've said your goodbyes. Kids, let's leave them alone for a bit." The kids followed, while Sasuke and Haku supported Sakura.

"**Well... I guess this is goodbye again, huh?"** Same asked slowly.

"**I guess so."** Kageryu replied. Kyuubi extended his hand in front of him. It was covered by a pale one, a tan one, a webbed one, and an enormous one.

"**Doesn't feel the same without Ururu-baka."** Kyuubi murmured. **"Stay strong, and remember, once we fully merge, we really will be with one another again."**

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Yume opened his eyes, and five startled pairs met his own. He stood and picked up Sakura.

"I-I think I can walk again, Yume-san!!" Yume shook his head.

"You can't yet. It takes a while to recover from sensory overload." Both Sasuke and Sakura blushed.

"Ano, Yume-san? Were the demons really in love?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah, they were. I think two of you definitely have a better understanding of that, though." Yume glanced sideways at Sasuke, who glared, but the effect was dampened since his face resembled an overripe tomato. He led the children out into the yard of his house, surrounded by walls.

"What about Ero-Jiisan?" Naruto asked. Yume smirked.

"He'll join us once he wakes up. I didn't warn him how much that would drain him." He set Sakura down gently and walked back inside. He came out a few minutes later carrying an insane amount of scrolls in his arms. When he set them all down, it made a small crater appear. Hinata nervously moved back.

"Wh-what are all of those for?"

"Oh, I'm not sure what tribe you'll be best to sign a summoning contract with. So I brought all the scrolls I have a contract with." The kids' eyes nearly bugged out of their heads.

"HOW MANY ARE THERE!?!" Sakura yelled.

"Only two hundred sixty one, why? Anyway, let's get you started." Ignoring the incoherent mumblings of the shocked children, Yume dug through the pile of scrolls. Pulling out a fairly large one, he tossed it to Sasuke effortlessly. When Sasuke caught it, he found himself flat on his back, all the air knocked out of his lungs.

"What... the hell??" Sasuke grunted as he hefted the scroll onto the ground. "How much does this damn thing weigh!?" Yume shrugged.

"Go ahead. Open it and sign it. If you're not meant for that clan, the signature will disappear." Sasuke opened the scroll and rolled it along the ground for a ways. Ht went to the first open slot, bit his thumb, and signed his name in blood, and a set of fingerprints of his right hand. The scroll glowed faintly, and his blood dried instantly.

"Not surprised... Congratulations, Uchiha Sasuke. You now have a summoning contract with the Snake Branch clan."

"Branch?"

"I prefer them. They're strong willed, but they'll listen to you if they see something of worth in you. And, judging by how fast your blood dried, I'd say you're perfect for it." Sasuke smirked triumphantly and closed the scroll. Yume picked it up, spun it on one finger, and placed it back in the pile. He withdrew another and dropped it on the ground before the boy. Sasuke looked at the name on the scroll, then grinned fiercely. He ripped it open and signed. The blood dried only slightly slower than the snake scroll.

"Good job, Sasuke. The Raven clan will be an asset during nighttime missions. They don't have as much muscle as other clans, though." Yume took the scroll back and placed it in the small mountain of parchment.

"Next! Haku... Where'd I put that thing..." he muttered as he dug through the pile of scrolls. "Ah! Here we go!" He tossed the medium-sized scroll at Haku, but he sidestepped. Good idea, based on the dust cloud that appeared when it landed. Haku opened it, and noticed something that made his eyes widen.

"My... my parents?" Haku asked with a trembling voice.

"Hai. I knew your parents, Haku. They had a contract with that clan. In fact, I'm the only person outside of your family that does. Go ahead, sign it." Haku nodded, and shakily signed the scroll. His blood dried instantly upon contact with the parchment of the scroll, and Yume whistled.

"Good job Haku. You have a contract with the Polar Bear clan. They will only listen to someone from your family, anyone else tries to summon and control them... Well, they're dinner." Haku chuckled as he closed the scroll, and it vanished.

"Nani!?"

"Oh, the only reason that thing was still here was because I was keepin' it for your parents. Now that you've signed it, it's vanished. It'll probably reappear when the next member of your family's ready to sign." Haku nodded numbly.

"Well, I think you might have another clan too. Let's see... Here it is!" He handed the boy a medium sized scroll. Haku opened it and signed.

"Arctic Owl clan... again, not surprising. They're useful for daytime aerial reconnaissance." Yume took the scroll back and tossed it over his shoulder.

"Ne, ne tousan!! When do I sign!?" Naruto asked as he hopped up and down.

"Ladies first, Naruto."

"Oooohh, so _that's_ why Sasuke-teme went first!!" A vein pulsed on said dark-haired boy's temple. Yume laughed and withdrew another scroll, the smallest yet. He motioned Hinata over. She gulped and walked over to him. He handed her the scroll, and she handled it like it was a bomb about to blow. She all but dropped it on the ground, and it rolled open.

"You don't need to be scared, Hinata-chan!! You'll do fine!!" Naruto clapped her on the back, and she stumbled. When she stood back up, she smiled broadly at him and walked back over to the scroll. Pushing it open further, she let out a small gasp.

"B-B-But..."

"Correct, Hime-chan." Hiashi said as he walked into the yard.

"Your mother had a contract with that clan as well. They are very selective about whose contracts they'll honor. You must have a pure heart to stand a chance." He put his hand on her shoulder.

"I know you can do it, musume. I have no doubt, because you are just like she was." Hinata smiled sadly as the bit her thumb and started to sign the scroll. But before her finger could even touch the scroll, her name wrote itself and a handprint appeared. Yume chuckled while Hinata started spluttering.

"B-B-But I d-didn't even sign it y-yet!!!" Hiashi smiled.

"I think they were waiting for you, Hime-chan. Congratulations." She hugged her father fiercely around the waist.

"That's a contract with the White Tiger clan. They're powerful, and have a strong sense of right and wrong." Yume explained as he picked up the scroll, sealed it, and put it back in the pile. Yume pulled another from the pile, and set it down in front of her. She signed, and her blood quickly dried.

"Orca clan is a great aquatic attack clan. It takes a lot to stop an Orca on a rage." Sasuke looked away with a pained look on his face. Naruto suddenly felt sorry for the boy. Sakura shakily stood up, but fell back over. She shut her eyes and waited for her head to smack into the ground. Instead, she heard an "oof" and landed on something soft. She opened her eyes.

"Sakura, you're heavy." Sasuke said from underneath her.

"AH! Gomen ne, Sasuke-kun! Thank you for saving me."

"Hn. Don't try and stand on your own yet." He slung one of her arms over his neck and helped her stand. She blushed, and mumbled another "thank you" as he helped her sit down again. Yume put a scroll in front of her. She read the name of the clan and shuddered.

"You're _joking_, right? _SLUGS!?!_" She practically screeched.

"You'd be surprised, Sakura. I know what you're thinking. 'Slugs are slimy, ugly, and gross' or something similar, right?" She nodded vigorously.

"Know something?" Yume opened the scroll and pointed to a signature. Sakura gasped.

"Ts-Tsunade-sama!? Has a contract with _slugs!?!_"

"The slugs are a very selective clan, Sakura. They favor intelligence and cunning over strength." Sakura debated with herself, until she finally signed the contract in blood. The blood dried instantly. Yume took that scroll and gave her another, which she also signed.

"So that makes the Slug clan and the Falcon clan. Good, solid balance between the two." Sakura beamed at him.

"MYTURNMYTURNMYTURNMYTURN!!!" Naruto was practically jumping out of his skin by now.

"Naruto, I think we'll need to wait for a while for yours..."

"NANI!? WHY!?"

"Jiraiya-san has it, and he's the only one that can open it..."

"... Oh..."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

BLAAAAAAAAAH!!! There we go! I'm really sorry about this, but I'm in one hell of a rush right now, so...

**TO ALL REVIEWERS** – THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH for your support!! I can't thank you enough!! Ja ne!! (runs off as fast as he can)


	14. Training, Moving and a Suprise

Okay, just a bit of warning. Sasuke's a tad OOC in this chapter, but it's because he's finally letting out the sadness and anger that'd been bottling up inside for who knows how many years. So there.

* * *

Naruto groaned as he sat up again. Hinata was beside him on the ground, gasping for breath. Sakura was panting as she dragged herself to a kneeling position, and Sasuke was wheezing as he leaned against a tree. Haku was sitting against another tree, fanning himself. 

"C'mon guys! What's wrong, you can't be tired already! We've just gotten started!!" Yume said as he hopped up and down on one foot.

"Give them a break, dobe. They don't have your freakish stamina." Hiashi saw trying not to laugh, watching his friend train the children into the ground.

"Yeah they do, they just can't access it yet!! Besides, a few measly laps around the house are just a warm-up!" Yume retaliated, smirking as he watched his son fight his way to his feet yet again. A vein appeared on Sakura's forehead.

"A FEW MEASLY LAPS!?! YOU MADE US RUN _TEN FREAKING LAPS_ AROUND YOUR _ENORMOUS_ HOUSE, AND YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE OUT OF BREATH!?!" Yume smirked.

"Well, you seem to have enough breath for that." She blushed and looked away, muttering something under her breath.

"Let's do this... otousan..." Naruto panted, fighting for the strength to stay conscious.

"Let's give them a break, sensei. They're all ready to pass out." Kakashi called lazily as he turned the page in his newly autographed copy of _Icha Icha Paradise_. Yume's eyebrow twitched.

"Fair enough, Kakashi. Why don't we spar?" All traces of laziness vanished from the copy ninja's face.

"Spar? With you? Sure!" Kakashi was almost vibrating with excitement. He was actually going to be able to fight with his teacher again, after so long... He slipped his book into his pouch, stood, and walked over to his teacher. The genin dragged themselves over to the trees lining the training field.

"Go ahead, Kakashi. Don't hold back on _my_ account." Yume teased him as he cracked his knuckles.

"Same with you, sensei. I'm not the one who's been out of action for almost twelve years." Kakashi flipped his forehead protector up, revealing his Sharingan eye.

"That won't work, you know." Kakashi just shrugged.

"Habit." With that, both of the ninjas vanished.

"Where'd they go!?" Naruto exclaimed. His eyes were trying to keep up with the blurs that were moving around the clearing. Sasuke has his Sharingan activated, and was following the fight in disbelief. He could see one blur, but...

'_Where the hell is Yume-san!?'_

**("Don't you get it? _That's_ what his kekkei genkai does. You might as well try and see the wind.")** Kageryu sighed in frustration.

"Tired yet?" Kakashi asked as he leapt at his teacher again.

"You wish, Kakashi-kun!" Yume retaliated as he back flipped away, landing neatly on the ground. Kakashi stopped also, and grasped his right wrist firmly with his left hand.

"Hey Yume-sensei. Remember how you challenged me to make a technique similar to Rasengan? _Here's your answer! CHIDORI!!_" The sound of chirping birds filled the air, and lightning-like blue chakra covered Kakashi's hand. Yume smiled.

"Nice. Too bad I can't let you finish it." Yume shot forward in a golden blur.

"_Konoha Senpuu!!"_ He cried as he planted a crushing kick to Kakashi's chest. Kakashi's Chidori didn't dissipate, even when the kick sent him flying through several trees and into a wall with a resounding _crunch_. The kids were in shock.

'_How... How can he move like that...?'_ Haku stared at the golden-haired warrior.

'_Amazing... Such speed _and_ power...'_ Sasuke's eyes were open wide. Sakura and Naruto's jaws were on the ground, and Hinata's eyes were bugging out of her head. Kakashi stood once again, and charged at his teacher in a green and black blur. Hiashi stood, and walked forward until he was between the charging men.

"_Hakkeshou: Kaiten!!"_ He spun like a top and a dome of whirling chakra formed, sending the other two flying.

"_DAMMIT!! HIASHI-TEME!!!_" Yume plowed clean through a wall. Kakashi grunted and shoved his Chidori into the ground, making him stop quite handily. Hiashi stood smirking in the middle of a slightly smoking crater almost fifteen feet in diameter. Yume stood up and dusted himself off, as though he had only stumbled and tripped, not been sent through a wall.

"_You could warn me before you do that!!"_ Yume roared at the Hyuuga.

"Where's the fun in that?" Hiashi stepped out of the crater and walked over to the others.

"Everyone, lunchtime!" Natsumi's voice came over the loudspeaker. "I made my special ramen for- YEEK!!! DON'T DO THAT YUME-KUN!!!" Before the word "ramen" was even finished, Yume had vanished, and apparently reappeared in the kitchen right next to her. Naruto shot off, all traces of tiredness gone from his features. The others contented themselves with a slightly more relaxed pace, but still rather fast. Yume was already seated at the table when they arrived, nursing a large bump on his head. Natsumi was chuckling slightly as she put her trusty frying pan away. Hiashi just snickered.

"Got you again, huh?"

"Urusei." They all sat down.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto and Yume dug in rapidly, Haku not far behind. Sakura took a bite and immediately shoveled more into her mouth.

"So good!!"

"Why thank you, Sakura-chan." Natsumi laughed.

"I've had lots of practice, with Yume's appetite-"

"Seconds please!" Yume held up his bowl. She just laughed and refilled it, shaking her head.

"See what I mean?" Sasuke took a small bite, and regretted it instantly. It tasted...

Too much like...

_Hers_. So full of love...

Not too strong...

Not too bland...

His eyes were stinging with tears, even though he bade them not to come.

"Sasuke-kun? What's wrong?" Sakura asked once she had noticed his tears.

"I didn't forget to spice the egg rolls, did I?" Natsumi asked worriedly.

"I-Iie. I'm fine-" He cursed his luck. His voice _did_ just have to crack right then. He prayed they wouldn't take note. He stood up from the table and excused himself, walking hastily out of the room. Natsumi started to get up, but Yume placed a hand on her shoulder. As if an unseen communication had occurred, she smiled and asked if anyone wanted seconds.

"H-Hai, Kazara-san." Hinata said politely.

"Please, call me Natsumi, Hinata-chan." The younger girl nodded shyly as she took her food.

* * *

Thirty bowls of ramen later (for Yume anyway), they all stood up. 

"Okay kids. Let's go start the next stage of your training. We're moving to water walking, since all of you can climb trees now."

"Yosh!" Naruto cheered.

"What about Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, her emerald eyes filled with concern. Yume put a hand on her shoulder and steered her from the room.

"He'll catch up. He just needs to be alone for a while..." Yume shook his head to remove the lingering sadness.

_((Daijoubu, koi?))_ Natsumi asked through their mental link. (1)

_((Yeah, I'm fine. I think you should talk to Sasuke.))_

_((Why me?))_

_((He doesn't need me right now. What he needs now, is a mother who cares about him.))_

_((I'll do my best.))_

_((I know you will. Ja.))_ Yume withdrew his mind from the conversation as he kissed her on the top of her head. He steered the children from the room, followed by Kakashi and Hiashi. After clearing the table, she walked out into the dojo. She could hear his frustrated punches and kicks all the way from the house. Sticking her head in the room, she saw that he'd been repeatedly punching one of the dummies hanging from the ceiling.

"Daijobou, Sasuke-kun?" He practically jumped out of his skin. After whirling to face her, he averted his eyes again.

"H-Hai." She walked up to him and placed both her hands on his shoulders.

"I don't think you are." He mumbled something.

"What was that, Sasuke-kun?"

"I said I don't need your pity!" She knelt in front of the boy. She forced him to look into her eyes, biting back the tears when she saw the raw amount of turmoil and pain inside his onyx orbs.

"Look in my eyes, Sasuke. No, look at them." She forced his head around to look at her face again.

"Do you see any pity, Sasuke? This isn't pity, Sasuke. This is sorrow. Sorrow over what you've become. Sorrow that no one was there to help you." Sasuke's eyes were brimming with tears, no matter how hard he fought to keep them away. Natsumi wrapped her arms around him in a motherly embrace. The lump in Sasuke's throat only let a strangled cry escape as he collapsed into the embrace. How long had it been...? Since someone had cared about him disregarding the fact that he was the Uchiha heir? He couldn't remember.

"Well, one thing's for sure. You're not living alone in that house another day, Sasuke." His eyes flew open.

"Nani!?"

"Uchiha Sasuke. You listen to me now. You're moving in with us here, and that's final. No buts!" Her voice had a slightly commanding edge to it. Sasuke nodded even as the strange lump in his throat grew. He cursed himself under his breath.

"What's wrong now, Sasuke-kun?"

"I... I made myself promise... never to cry again... So why am I crying now...? Crying is for weaklings... That's what Itachi told me..."

"You're both wrong." Sasuke looked up at Natsumi, clearly startled and confused.

"Why?"

"The much stronger man is he who shows his emotions openly, not one who hides everything inside. Besides, you can't keep all of your pain inside, you'd burst!" She giggled as she ruffled his hair. Sasuke's mind was spinning. One of the core pillars of his world had just been brought down in seconds, just with one sentence! All he could do was gape openly at this woman who had rewritten one of his sacred laws. And yet... he was strangely thankful. He didn't know why, but... the thought of waking up in the morning... surrounded by people who actually care about him... a large and genuine smile found its way to his usually dour face.

"Arigato." he murmured as he dried his tears.

"Oh, it was nothing Sasuke-kun. You'd better hurry, I think the others have already started to train." He nodded, and ran off.

_((Koi?))_ She called through her mental link with her soul mate.

_((Nani?))_

_((He agreed to move in with us tonight.))_

_((I knew you could do it honey.))_

_((I'm flattered.))_

_((Gotta go, or Naruto's going to drown. He can't stay on top of the water!))_ he laughed as he closed the conversation. She giggled.

_'Just like his father_... She walked back into the house. After all, there was still housework to be done.

"Ackpth!!" Naruto's head broke the surface after going underwater for the thirteenth time that afternoon.

**("Fourteenth. And I _do_ hope you at least know how to swim. Maybe _you_ should have held Same since you seem to like spending so much time underwater.")**

_Can it you-_ Naruto's mental tirade was interrupted as Hiashi hauled him out of the water again.

"I swear boy, you're _just_ like your father was."

"I _heard_ that, teme."

"You were supposed to."

"Oh, Sasuke. Glad you could make it." Yume said as he faced the boy who had just walked into the clearing that held the lake his friends were on. Well, _most_ of his friends.

"Why's dobe so wet?" Said boy's eyes snapped over to the new arrival.

"SASUKE-TEMEE!!! I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT _YOU_ CAN DO!!!" Sakura just laughed as she performed cartwheels on the top of the lake, completely dry. Sasuke smirked. She was definitely perfect for him-

_Oh hell, not _again Kageryu snickered.

**("Yes again, hatchling. Get used to it.")** Sasuke sent a strong image of a dragon-skin wallet into his mind. Kageryu growled and sent an image of Sasuke roasting on a spit. He stumbled as he walked forward.

**("I'm STILL a demon, you know. I just _happen_ to be stuck inside your body. That does NOT make me like you.")**

_Feeling's mutual, ryu._ Sasuke walked forwards until he was at the edge of the lake. Hinata was knee-deep in four feet of water. It seemed that she had the basic hang of it, but she was just doubting herself again. Haku was balanced almost perfectly on top of the water, just sitting there and meditating. Naruto's face was a mask of concentration, as he managed to stand on the surface.

"Look tousan!! I did it- BLARG!!!" Sasuke shook his head. He'd lost his concentration and fallen right through the surface once more. Yume shook his head.

"This... is going to take a while..."

* * *

Sasuke couldn't place the feelings that were flying around inside of him. On the one hand, he was scandalized. He was abandoning the Uchiha manor, the place of his ancestors. On the other, he was happier than he'd ever been in his whole life. He was finally leaving that empty shell of a home. 

"It's been a while since I've been inside the Uchiha complex." Hiashi commented as he followed the boy. Natsumi was coming along as well, as were Sakura and Kakashi. Sasuke was finding it hard to just walk, let alone lead others. They'd been training mercilessly the whole day, only resting when they couldn't move or for meals. Sasuke opened the door to his room, and stepped inside. He gathered up his possessions, the ones he wanted to take anyway. Sakura shuddered.

How could he live in a place like this... It feels like the happiness is being sucked out of me...

**("Yeah, there are definitely some lingering emotions in this house. Good thing he's moving out. He might actually be driven insane if he lived in here for too long.")**

_'He could have moved in to _my_ house, you know!!'_ Hane chuckled.

**("As much as I would love having a treat that close...")** Sakura's face matched the coloration of her dress.

_'THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!!!'_

**("_I_ meant it.")** Sakura shoved the demoness from her mind and shuddered again.

"Daijoubu?" Sasuke asked, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Un. Demon problems..." She flushed slightly again, as did he.

"Know what you mean." He shifted the bag over a shoulder. Natsumi shook her head sadly.

_'It's that bad?'_ Yume asked her.

_((The very air seems like it wants to strangle you... There's no hope in this place.))_

_((That's _exactly_ why he's moving in with us. I don't want him turning out like Orochimaru-san.))_

_((We'll be back in a minute koi. Is his room ready?))_

_((Yeah. I just went with the navy stuff.))_

_((Perfect. See you soon.))_

"Ano, Natsumi-nee?" Sakura asked from beside her.

"Nani?"

"What were you doing just now? Your eyes were out of focus." Natsumi smiled.

"Talking with Yume-kun."

"You can do that!?!" Sakura's eyes were almost popping out of her head.

"It's something I'll explain later. For now, you'd better get home, young lady." Hiashi laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Natsumi-chan's right, little one. I'll escort you home."

"Un." Sakura nodded. She stopped, turned around, and hugged Sasuke. The boy immediately stiffened, but wrapped her arms around her.

"Gomen... I should have asked..." she apologized when they pulled apart.

"Iie... I don't mind... just warn me next time..." Sasuke smiled at her. Not his usual smirk. An actual smile, filled with more happiness and emotion than she'd ever seen him display. Her heart melted into a puddle at the bottom of her chest cavity.

'_Oh my god!! HE'S SO HOT!!!'_ Sakura flushed heavily, and stuttered a 'goodbye.' Hiashi put a hand on her shoulder again and steered the stunned girl from the room. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Is she alright?" Natsumi laughed, her laughter sounding alien in the forlorn gloom of the deserted manor.

"She's just shell shocked. You'll get it later, Sasuke-kun." She patted him on top of the head. He grumbled something, and they left, Kakashi carrying the rest of Sasuke's belongings.

* * *

"Arigato, Hiashi-san. For walking me home, I mean." 

"Don't mention it, Sakura. It's what I'd want someone to do for Hinata, so I don't mind." Sakura smiled up at him, and he smiled back.

"Ano, Hiashi-san?"

"Nani?"

"Do... I mean... Ano..."

"Out with it, child, I don't bite." Sakura's emerald eyes clouded over slightly.

"My parents know about Hane, right?" Hiashi closed his eyes.

"Iie. They don't. It was your grandparents who nominated you to be a container. Your father had his hands full with a mission, and your mother was unconscious in the hospital. She never even knew you left the maternity ward."

"Oh... Do you think... they'd hate me if they found out...?"

"I can't imagine that they would." Hiashi was praying that his statement was true. Sakura looked up at him, eyes full of a panicked need for reassurance. He put a hand on her head and rubbed it affectionately. Her smile returned.

"Oh no, I forgot! Mizuki-sensei was coming over for dinner! Bye Hiashi-san, I have to run!!" She waved as she sprinted. Hiashi raised his hand, and waited until she had gone around the corner before following at a high rate of speed.

Sakura opened the door to her house to find it dark inside.

'It's only seven... They should be having dinner...' 

"Hello? Is anyone home?" She asked nervously. Her eyes widened in shock when a kunai buried itself in her shoulder. She cried out as she slid to the floor.

"Ah, so the demon comes home." Mizuki drawled as he undid his genjutsu, appearing in the middle of the room.

"_Sakura!!_" Her mother shouted, bound and hanging from the ceiling.

"Mi-Mizuki-sensei? What's going on?" Sakura asked as she placed one hand on the kunai.

"Revenge, that's what. You filthy demons killed my parents!!"

"Sakura was just born you lunatic!! What does she have to do with those demons!? You haven't answered me yet!!" Sakura's mother demanded from the ceiling.

"Ah, you wouldn't know, Haruno-san. Your husband's father gave Sakura..."

"_Yamero!!"_ Sakura screamed. Her only response was another Kunai embedded in her other shoulder. She screamed again., collapsing over, her breathing ragged.

"Silence, demon!! As I was saying, her grandfather gave her to the Yondaime Hokage, to be used as a sacrifice. That child..."

"Please... _YAMERO ONEGAI!!!_" Sakura called out from the floor.

"She is the human form of the hawk demoness, Hane!! _It was her and her friends that killed my parents, as well as yours!!_" Mizuki screamed at Sakura's mother.

"No... You're lying!!" Sakura's mother almost whispered. Mizuki yanked Sakura's head back so she was laying on her back under her mother. He ripped the bottom of her shirt up, revealing the seal that stood out, black against her creamy skin. Tears were overflowing from Sakura's eyes. Now her mother, her own mother would hate her.

"Mizuki-sensei, you are correct. I despise Hane with all of my heart." Sakura gave a great sob, and curled up.

"Ah, so we agree-"

"But not Sakura. Not my daughter, Sakura-chan. I could never hate you, musume." She smiled as she looked at her daughter.

"Okaa-chan..." Sakura whimpered.

"Fine, then _both_ of you can die!!" Mizuki grabbed one of the huge shuriken on his back and spun in it his hand.

_Some shinobi I am...No... I can't die here... NO!!! **NOOOOOO!!!**_ Sakura could only watch in horror as Mizuki threw the giant star at her

"Demons first!!" he cackled. The front door burst open.

"_Hakkeshou: Kaiten!!"_ Hiashi yelled as he leapt in front of Sakura. His body spun, but he controlled his energy so the sphere around his body was small. The shuriken froze in the air when it hit the dome, then fell to the ground once he stopped spinning.

"Hyuuga Hiashi-sama!?" Sakura's mother said in disbelief.

"Just watching after one of my students, Haruno-san." Hiashi nodded to her.

"I'll have you down in a minute, ma'am."

"I should have known that you'd be on their side. After all, your precious daughter is Same!!" Hiashi activated his Byakugan, and glared a hole right through the chuunin.

"Yes, Hinata has Same sealed inside of her, but that does not make her a demon. Now, for insulting the heir of the clan, you must pay the price. _Hakkeshou: Rokujuu Yonshou!!_"

"One hand!"

"Two hands!"

"Four hands!"

"Eight hands!"

"Sixteen hands!"

"Thirty-two hands!"

"Sixty-four hands!" Mizuki crumpled like a soggy paper bag, and Hiashi made sure to trod on his manhood en route to freeing Sakura's mother. He let her down gently, and cut the ropes that bound her. She ran over to Sakura immediately.

"Sakura-chan! Daijoubu!?" Sakura nodded as she carefully removed the kunai with a small yelp. Hiashi walked over to her.

"I'm not the best medic, but I can help heal the damage. You should be fine, he missed the tendons. _Chiyute no Jutsu._" (2) His hands were bathed in a green light, and the damage on her shoulders were lessened.

"Arigato, Hiashi-san."

"Don't mention it. Hane should be able to take it from there." Sakura whirled to face her mother.

"Okaa-chan..."

"Ssh... I meant what I said, Sakura. You're my little flower blossom, no matter what." Sakura hugged her mother tightly.

"Excuse me, Hyuuga-sama? Did you say Sakura was one of your students?"

"Yes, one of my best ones. I train her with the other children that bear the demons."

"You won't make me stop, will you okaa-chan?"

"Why would I do that? I'm happy that you have some friends." That statement triggered Sakura's memory.

"Okaa-chan, guess what!? _Sasuke-kun asked me to be his girlfriend!!! AND WE HUGGED!!!"_

"That's wonderful, honey!! Now, why don't we get some take-out? I don't think I feel like cooking right now."

"You wanna join us, Hiashi-san?" Sakura asked.

"Iie. Gomen, but I must take the trash out, so to speak." He heaved Mizuki's twitching body over a shoulder and walked out of the house.

"See you tomorrow, Sakura."

"Oyasumi!" (3) Sakura called after him.

"I think you should tell me all of what's been going on with your training, Sakura-chan." Her mother chided her as she locked the door.

"Un. Let's discuss it over some gyuudon!" Haruno-san laughed and walked down the street with her daughter.

* * *

Oy! There, another one down.

**Night-Owl123**, **Firedude328**, **TopQuark**, **All anonymous reviewers** – Thanks!

**Dragon Man 180** – Sasuke's contracts will be explained later. Manda isn't in charge of Snake Branch, just so you know. Yes, that possibility has occurred to me as well... heheheheheheheheh...

**Metanaito**-san – Yeah, indeed ;

**Place-your-name-here** – Um, yeah...

**sephynarutocloud** – Um, thanks, I think...

**Inferno-Dragonz** – I will say it here, since I didn't state it above. Naruto has contracts with the Toad clan as well as the Fox clan (who couldn't see that one coming?)

**Magicians of the Yami** – I will, don't worry.

**zornoid13** – Sorry it took so long

**Gopu**-san – Once again, thank you for your support.

**Skuld's Sentaro** – Yes, Yume has a ton of summoning contracts. Isn't it grand!?

**Lady-Frisselle** – Yes, the "demon make out scene" seems to be one of my most popular ones, besides the "OOC Hinata" scene.

**nonengel** – Yeah, I was reaching on some of 'em.

**GreatMarta**-sama – A wedgie is when you grab the back of someone's underwear and yank up sharply. (evil laughter) Yes, Hyuuga Shizuka, Hinata's mother, died giving birth to Hanabi. I _do_ imagine that that would be a bit, erm, unexpected at their age... Thanks, I really had to think for the contracts.

**X-Mirai-X**-san – Yeah, I owe you for the suggestion. I wouldn't say that the two of them have been _scarred_. Given some ideas, maybe, but not scarred! ;; Anyway, I think the idea of cute, shy little Hinata having a temptress for a demon is freaking hilarious myself.

* * *

AUTHOR NOTES: 

(1) Yume and Natsumi are soulmates, which gives them a mental link at all times. The reason her part of the link was hidden is because of the ward that the third put on the house, but was broken when Yume entered it.

(2) _Chiyute no Jutsu_: Healing Hands Technique – A Ninjutsu technique where the ninja focuses chakra into the palms of their hands, creating a small ball of healing chakra. This chakra, when concentrated, can repair physical damage to another person. Depending on the degree of the wound, the ninja must concentrate more of their chakra to repair the damage. However, if the wound is too extensive, such as extensive damage to vital organs, this technique may not be able to help them. Phew, that was a mouthful...

(3) _Oyasumi_ – It just means "goodnight."

* * *

Okay, there you go, people. I have a third story, for anyone who's interested. Ja. 


	15. Changes and Gifts

I return! I have been plagued by that insidious disease known as the SENIOR PAPER. I've really been trying to update this… T.T Anyway, here it is, in all its delayed glory!

* * *

Yume paced in the comfort of his room, walking back and forth as he thought. Natsumi shook her head.

_-"Dear, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet. What's wrong?"-_ He didn't stop pacing.

_-"Something Kyuubi said bugs me..."-_

_-"Nani?"-_ Yume actually stopped pacing and looked at his wife.

_-"He said each of the kids was going to get a gift on their thirteenth birthday, from their demons… He didn't explain what the gift was, so..."-_

_-"You're letting your imagination run on overdrive again, koi."-_ Yume took a deep breath and sat down.

_-"I know, but… I'm worried about those kids…"-_ he admitted as he looked out the window. _–"Nobody should have to go through what they're going through. Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing by sealing the demons in them…"-_ Natsumi whapped him over the head.

_-"ITAI! Hey, what was that for?"-_ he whined as he rubbed his skull.

_-"For doubting yourself again. Seriously, Yume-kun, you're the fourth hokage. You don't get to be Hokage with no self-confidence. You did the only thing you could at the time, and they know that. I don't think they hold it against you, so you shouldn't either."-_ Yume switched to spoken words.

"True, but I wouldn't have been Hokage if it wasn't for your support, Natsu-chan." He said as he kissed her.

"What do you mean, silly?"

"You were the reason I strove so hard, strove to become Hokage. You were constantly cheering me on and supporting me then, and you still do it." Natsumi blushed as she giggled.

"Oh, Yume-kun, don't be silly, you'd have done it anyway." Yume stiffened. "What's wrong?"

"Isn't Sasuke's birthday today?" An ear-splitting scream of pain rang out, and Yume dashed to the source, throwing open his door.

"Sasuke!" What's wrong?" The raven-haired youth was doubled over on the floor. He let out several hacking coughs, and took in a ragged breath.

* * *

Sasuke finished slipping the shirt over his head.

'_Great. Another birthday. Another year that I haven't killed Itachi.'_

**("Hatchling, you remember what I discussed with you?")** Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

'_Something about a gift on my birthday?'_ He cleared his throat, feeling a slight burning sensation in his chest.

**("Yeah. I hope you're ready hatchling, because this is going to burn like hell.")** Before Sasuke had a chance to ask what Kageryu meant, he doubled over and slumped to the ground. His chest cavity was burning so fiercely he thought he had swallowed burning embers and some got into his lungs as well. He couldn't tell if he'd screamed or not, but he must have, because Yume ran in.

"Sasuke!" What's wrong?" He let out several hacking coughs, and took in a ragged breath.

"M-My… insides… feel like they're… on _fire_!" He coughed again, and didn't notice a small plume of fire come out of his mouth.

"What's wrong with Sasuke?" Naruto shouted, sticking his head in the room.

"Urusei… dobe." Sasuke grunted out before another coughing fit took over his body. Yume helped Sasuke into a sitting position, and turned to Naruto and Haku.

"Naruto, run and get Sakura. Tell her Sasuke needs her. Haku, come here and help me make him more comfortable." Naruto ran out of the room and sprinted for all he was worth. After running for a fair bit, he panted for breath as he knocked on the door of his friend's house. Mrs. Haruno opened the door, and smiled at him.

"Oh, you're Naruto, right? Sakura's friend? What can I do for you?" Naruto took a deep breath.

"I… I need to talk to Sakura-chan!" Mrs. Haruno detected urgency in his voice.

"Just a minute, I'll get her for you." She walked over to the bottom of a set of stairs.

"SAKURA-CHAAN! YOUR FRIEND NARUTO IS HERE! HE SAYS IT'S URGENT!"

"COMING! What's up, Naruto? Why are you out of breath?" Sakura asked as she came down the steps.

"Sakura-chan… It's Sasuke! Something's happening to him and otou-san wants you to come right away!" Naruto explained while bouncing from one foot to the other.

"Nani? Let's go then! Bye okaa-chan! I told you the address!" Sakura called as she and Naruto ran off towards the house. Mrs. Haruno shook her head, and walked back inside. She knew she was going to follow her daughter later, so she might as well take her time.

* * *

'_Please be alright, please be alright, please be alright!'_ Sakura repeated to herself over and over as she ran for all she was worth to Naruto's house.

**("Sasuke's a strong kid, he'll be fine.")**

'_What makes you so sure? He's probably _dying_! He's going to be DEAD before we kiss!'_ Sakura let out a mental wail of sorrow. Hane sighed as she shook her head.

**("He's not going to die, fledgling. He's just getting Kageryu's gift to him.")** Sakura nearly tripped while she was running. How could she have forgotten? Today was Sasuke-kun's _birthday_! And she had forgotten! What kind of a girlfriend was she?

**("Oh, cheer up already! At least you get to be with your love!")** Hane snapped. Sakura was taken aback. She'd almost forgotten that Hane was Kageryu's lover. Here she was, complaining that she didn't have a gift, and Hane would never be able to see or be with her love again.

'_Hane, gomenasai, I forgot…'_

**("Aaah, don't worry about it, fledgling. I guess you being with the Uchiha is the closest thing I'll get to being with Kageryu-kun again…")** Sakura leapt over the fence surrounding Naruto's house.

'_Hey, what did you mean when you said that Sasuke-kun was getting Kageryu's gift? What kind of gift?'_

**("I'm sorry, Sakura, but I can't tell you that. You'll see soon enough. Don't forget, you'll be getting your gift tomorrow. Be prepared for it.")** Sakura gulped as she thrust the door to his room open.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke looked up from his position on the floor.

"Sa… Saku…" He was interrupted by another coughing fit, making him double over again. The fit ended with one hacking, body-jarring cough, sending a tongue of fire almost three feet in front of him. Sakura rushed to his side and sat on her knees. She pulled his head onto her lap.

"It's alright, Sasuke. Just calm down, breathe deeply." Yume instructed as he wiped the boy's forehead with a damp cloth. Sasuke coughed.

"Breathe… breathe deeply…? Are you – _cough cough cough_ – crazy? That'll sting – _cough cough_ – like hell!"

"I know it will, but give it a shot, Sasuke." Sasuke closed his eyes, and took as deep a breath as he could. He cried out and coughed several times, each time sending a small jet of fire from his mouth. Sakura looked at Yume worriedly.

"What's happening to him?" Yume pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I think the demon is altering his body so Sasuke is more suited to Kageryu's element, fire." Haku stood by nervously.

"That can't be good for his body…"

"No, I imagine it isn't. Which is why this change is so painful for him." Naruto swallowed audibly.

"Is it gonna be this painful for all of us?" Yume sighed.

"Most likely." Naruto paled, and laughed nervously. Hiashi hurried through the doorway, followed by Hinata.

"I heard a scream, what's going on?" Yume turned to look at him.

"Sasuke's just getting his demon's gift." Sasuke let out a jarring cough again, sending a plume of flame almost all the way to the ceiling. Hinata walked over to Naruto and stood by him.

"_W-W-_Will he _b_-be alright, Yume-san?" Yume smiled.

"Oh, he'll be fine, eventually. Kageryu wouldn't let his vessel die." Sasuke coughed weakly.

"Gee… thanks for –_cough cough cough cough_ – the vote of confidence…" Sasuke groaned weakly from the floor. He winced and went into another spasm of coughs. Sakura wiped his forehead and face again, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Sasuke's fit ended in one body-jarring, hacking cough as he almost doubled over. A huge, white-hot blazing fireball shot out of his mouth and across the room. It landed on the wall, catching it on fire.

"Good thing I thought ahead, ne?" Yume asked rhetorically as he grabbed a bucket of water he had grabbed earlier and doused the blaze. Sasuke panted heavily.

**("Good work, hatchling. The easy part's over. Go ahead and get some rest.")** Sasuke frowned on hearing that comment.

"Is it over?" Sakura asked him, hesitantly.

"Un. I think so…" He sighed frustratedly, accidentally letting out another jet of fire. Sakura shrieked in surprise, jerking her head back quickly. Kageryu snickered.

**("I said the easy part was over. Now comes learning to _control_ that fire burning inside of you.")** Sasuke growled.

'_Freaking smartass demon…'_ He carefully exhaled again, concentrating on not letting the warmth that was in his chest escape. No fireball came out. Okay, that was one obstacle down. Now he had to get in the habit of keeping that under control. Yume's keen ears heard a knock at the door.

"Naruto, why don't you get the door?" Naruto shrugged, stood up, and left the room.

'_Who could be at the door? Hiashi-san and Hinata-chan are already here…'_ Naruto opened the door to see…

"Haruno-san?" Naruto's eyes bulged slightly. She merely laughed and smiled at him.

"Long time no see, Naruto-kun. I came to meet Sakura's other sensei, besides Hyuuga-sama." Naruto began to sweat profusely. Nobody else was supposed to know about his parents being alive! Naruto started spluttering.

"Um… well… ya see… um…" Naruto spun around as Hiashi walked into the entryway.

"Konnichi wa, Haruno-san. How are you this morning?" Mrs. Haruno bowed low.

"I'm fine, Hyuuga-sama! I beg your pardon, however-"

"You want to meet Sakura's other teacher besides myself, ne?" he interrupted.

"H-Hai, if that's possible." Hiashi thought for a moment.

"On one condition. You will tell no one who he is. It isn't time yet for his existence to be revealed to the public again." Naruto waved his arms frantically.

"NAAAAANI! DEMO HIASHI-SAN!"

"I accept, Hyuuga-sama." She politely replied, ignoring Naruto's outbursts. Hiashi nodded, and led her further inside, followed by the still protesting Naruto. Eventually, they arrived at the door of Sasuke's room.

"Dobe! You have a visitor." Hiashi called through the door.

"ASS!" Yume's response was automatic. He opened the door.

"Who is it? Oh, Haruno-chan! I thought I'd be seeing you soon!" Yume laughed, and smiled at the stupefied woman. Her eyes were practically the size of dinner plates as she keeled over backwards, fainting dead away.

"Yo… Yondai… me…" Hiashi caught her effortlessly, and lifted her in his arms.

"You have a spare bedroom I can lay her in, Yume?" Yume thought, but was interrupted by a loud voice.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!" Natsumi walked over as fast as she could.

"Oh, heya Natsu-chan! Looks like Haruno-chan was surprised to see me!" Sakura stuck her head out of the room.

"What's going on- Kaa-chan?" Sakura ran over.

"Lay her in the master bedroom, Hiashi-kun! BAKA! How could you startle her like that?"

"ITAI!" Yume yelped as Natsumi hit him over the head with her trusty frying pan. Hiashi just shook his head and walked off.

"_Y-Y-_You know ­_S_-Sakura-chan's mother, _N-N-_Natsumi-san?" Hinata asked in her quiet manner.

"No, I don't. Not really, anyway. I've seen her before, but never really talked to her." Sasuke walked out, supported by Naruto.

"I still say you're just a stubborn bastard."

"And I still KNOW you're just a moronic dobe." Naruto's temper snapped.

"YOU… YOU… YOU… CHICKEN-HEADED ASS!" Sasuke's eyes widened. Not because of what he had said, but because he had actually come up with a decent comeback. Despite himself, his face cracked into a grin.

"Nice one, dobe." Naruto was shocked, to say the least. Uchiha Sasuke, Mr. popular himself, the ice cube, actually smiled. Naruto's face split into his foxy grin once more.

"Thanks, I guess, jackass." Hinata's face reddened as she saw Naruto's smile again. She could look at that bright beam of sunshine all day…

**("You're drooling again.")** Hinata flushed out of mortification and wiped her mouth as quickly and as surreptitiously as she could. Naruto noticed, and it made him think of how cute she looked all embarrassed. He shook his head quickly.

"Actually have a thought, dobe?" Sasuke mocked. Naruto merely smirked and dropped the boy, making him grunt in surprise.

"Yep. You could say that, teme." Naruto laughed while Sasuke growled from his position on the floor

* * *

Akemi groaned as her eyes fluttered open. What had happened…? Someone chuckled from the doorway.

"You took a little stumble, Haruno-chan. Feeling better?" She looked over at the voice, and nearly fainted again.

"_Y-Y-_Yondaime-dono!" It was him alright. The spiky golden hair, the bright blue eyes… he was a dead ringer.

"But… You're… How are you…? You're supposed to be…"

"Dead?" Yume finished her question. At her mute nod, Yume laughed again.

"Seems like the death god took the wrong soul… Oh well! His mistake!" he chuckled.

"Yondaime-dono? I have another question…" Yume raised one of his eyebrows.

"Fire when ready, Gridley." Akemi nodded nervously.

"No need to be so nervous, Haruno-chan. I don't bite, unless you're a bowl of ramen." He chuckled a bit at his own joke. "I'm betting you want to know why your parent-in-laws asked me to seal a demon in Sakura-chan, ne? Your father-in-law wanted to humiliate Hane, who had just killed his wife and dealt him the blow that was taking his life, by sealing her inside his offspring. He knew that my plan wouldn't work with an adult, so… he nominated Sakura. Sorry about doing it without your permission, but…"

"Iie, daijoubu. I'm glad ojii-san made that decision. It had to be done, for the good of Konoha." she interrupted him, then blushed slightly and apologized profusely for interrupting. He just laughed heartily, and smiled at her again.

"Oh, that reminds me. Sakura's going to be getting a 'gift' from Hane tomorrow, since it's her birthday. It's going to be hell for her, no sense it trying to glaze over it." He withdrew a scroll from his pocket and handed it to her. It was fairly small, but heavier than it would appear.

"What is this, Yondaime-dono?" Akemi asked, looking at it quizzically.

"Please, call me Yume. It's a summoning scroll. When she starts to get her gift, and there won't be any doubt when that is, open that and it'll summon a messenger bird that'll alert me. I'll be there as soon as I can, just try and keep her from injuring herself." Her brows knit with worry, but she nodded.

"She'll be alright, won't she, Yume-sama?" He sighed, and looked into her eyes.

"Yeah, eventually. It's getting her to that point that's got me worried."

* * *

"Ne, Sakura-chan? Can I talk with you? Alone?" Naruto asked nervously, shifting from foot to foot. His statement immediately made Sasuke glare daggers at him, and Hinata at Sakura. Sakura nodded hesitantly, stood from her position by Sasuke's bed, and walked out of the room with Naruto.

"Naruto, if this is another one of your attempts to get me out on a date-" Naruto cleared his throat.

"Actually Sakura-chan, I wanted to apologize. I've been chasing you around like a lost puppy since I first saw you, and… I know you love Sasuke-teme, and I think… I think I love Hinata-chan." he admitted with a fairly significant blush.

"Naruto…" Sakura was lost for words. He was actually apologizing? Hane shouted a strident **("HELL YEAH!")**, making Sakura smile slightly.

"Aand, I guess that's all… We can still be friends, right Sakura-chan?" Sakura bopped him on the head gently.

"Of course we can, Naruto no baka! How dense are you?" she chided him. Naruto pouted momentarily, then smiled broadly with his usual foxy grin.

"Thanks Sakura-chan! I feel a lot better now!" He slid the door open to reveal a blushing Hinata supporting an embarrassed Sasuke who had been eavesdropping. They both laughed nervously.

"Eheheheheheheh…"

* * *

Yosh! On to the reviews!

**Dragon Man 180** - hits head against desk Stupid plot holes! Thanks for pointing it out.

**sephynarutocloud** – I have. -.-;;;

**Night-Owl123** – Many thanks!

**Place-your-name-here** – I'm flattered! .;;

**Coco Cow** – That's what I've tried to do. I got sick and tired of Hiashi being a cold and heartless bastard in every story I read.

**Skuld's Sentaro2** – Thanks. He already knows Kage Bunshin, he's used it before. .;;;

**TFI-Muse** – Thanks. Gaara's going to come in during the Chuunin exam. I shall take your "wink wink nudge nudge" into consideration.

**Kirin Kage the Shadow Girl** – Years of pent up emotions tend to do that to a person.

**Rednal**-san – Thanks for the rant! .

**GreatMarta** – Thanks! By the way, how's the translation coming along?

**Ame Suisei** – Indeed he does. evil laughter

**GirlWaterShaman** – Fluff is surprisingly hard to write…

**Scarred Marionette** – The reason Sakura froze is because she has no combat experience whatsoever. That'll change fast, mind you.

**violently-cheerful** – I'm not giving up! Yes, you can use Yume. I'm flattered.

**Kagome1015** – Indeed. Natsumi is the ultimate mother figure.

**Dagorwen of Ithilien** – Your penname's hard to spell XP Anyway, Read my response to **Scarred Marionette**'s review.

**All anonymous reviewers** – Thank you very much, and keep up the R&R!

* * *

NEXT TIME: Sakura gets her gift, as well as the other kids! 


	16. Wind, Water, and Bonding

Hey minna-san! dodges the objects thrown at him I know it's been forever since my last update, but I had so much crap going on… Graduating, my mom not letting me get on the comp, getting ready for college… Anyway, for some good news, I have a beta now! **Metanaito** was most generous to accept the position. Anyway, ON WITH THE STORY!

* * *

Does it LOOK like I own Naruto? I own Yume and any other OCs though!

* * *

Sakura yawned hugely as she rubbed her eyes. She mumbled something incoherent and trudged to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror, wondering what exactly had been the reason to get up at this hour. It wasn't even eight in the morning yet. She scratched her head as she yawned again.

**("Chick? You awake yet?")** Hane asked from her prison. Sakura blinked once before answering, obviously not being a morning person.

'_Hane? Did you wake me up? It's my birthday, aren't I supposed to be able to sleep in on my birthday?'_ Hane laughed nervously.

**("Yeeeah, about your birthday… Remember how I said you'd be getting a gift like the Uchiha boy had?")** Sakura nodded, and then remembered Hane couldn't see it.

'_Yeah, and?'_ Hane refrained from banging her head against the wall of her prison. Sometimes her vessel was so smart it was scary, but get her early in the morning, and she couldn't count to four.

**("Just checking. Hope you're ready, because this is going to burn. Badly.")** Sakura remembered how much pain Sasuke had seemed to be in yesterday, right before every nerve ending in her body exploded with pain. She screamed loudly and crumpled to the floor like a rag doll.

* * *

Akemi was busy cooking breakfast when she heard her daughter's shriek of pain from the upstairs bathroom. She ran up the stairs as fast as she could and found Sakura writhing in pain on the floor. She let out another scream, and Akemi remembered the scroll the Fourth had given her. She ran into her room and opened the small scroll. In a poof of smoke, a tiny hummingbird was sitting in her hands where the scroll had been.

"You want me to go quickfetch Yume-san, rightright?" it asked in a squeaky little voice. Akemi nodded, a little shocked.

"Okay! I go quickfetch him fastfast! You slowwait here and make sure birdgirl doesn't ouchhurt herself! Be ready to wideopen the doordoor!" The little bird gave a semblance of a bow, and was out the window faster than a gunshot. Akemi nervously paced, waiting for a knock at her door.

* * *

The abovementioned Hokage was shoveling food into his mouth along with his son and students. Natsumi laughed when Naruto turned blue from shoving food into his mouth too quickly. Sasuke snorted, accidentally sending a small tongue of fire over the table. He reddened slightly as everyone glanced at him.

"So I haven't perfected it yet…" he muttered. Not only had the dragon messed with his insides, Sasuke had found a ridge of scales going down his spine. Apparently, Kageryu had thought they would look cool. Sasuke hadn't noticed them growing because of the pain of his primary gift. Yume laughed silently. Suddenly, what seemed to be a feathered ping-pong ball smacked Naruto in the back of the head.

"Gah! WHAT THE HELL!" The "ping-pong ball" hovered back up into the air in front of Yume.

"Kin? What's wrong?" The little bird started buzzing around Yume's head.

"Ooooooh! You have to runrun quickfast Yume-san! The birdgirl is ouchhurting! I came to quickfetch you for confusedlady!" Naruto had little swirlies for eyes.

"Naaaani…?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the overly energetic bird.

"Translation: I have to hurry to Sakura's house because she's getting her gift and her mother summoned you?" Yume asked as he stood. The little bird buzzed in place.

"Yepyep rightright! You have to runrun quickfast!" Yume nodded.

"That'll be all Kin. Help yourself to some food before you leave."

"Yaay! Natsumi-san's foodfood is yumtasty!" The little bird started eating an egg roll that was larger than he was while Yume hurried to the door. He rolled up his pants and removed what looked like weights from both of his legs. He rolled them up and dropped them outside the door, where they sunk to about one-and-a-half feet underground. The kids' eyes bugged out of their heads when he did that.

"HOW DO YOU MOVE!" Naruto yelled.

"Lots of practice. Sasuke, I think Sakura'd like to see you." Yume crouched into a run. "Natsu-chan, when jackass comes, tell him where I am." As soon as he said that, a golden blur shot through the streets of Konoha, stirring up dirt and trash in his wake.

"How fast… was he going…?" Haku managed to ask, his chopsticks slipping from his stunned fingers. Natsumi giggled as she started to clear the table.

"Your father's not called the "Golden Flash" for nothing, Naruto. The last time someone clocked Yume running without his weights or any jutsu, he was going at least 125 miles per hour. That was a while ago, though. He might have slowed down a little since he's been out of action for so long." Naruto choked on the drink he had taken. Sasuke whirled around towards the door when he heard Sakura's voice.

_-"Sasuke-kun! Help me!"-_ He looked wildly around the room, but he couldn't see Sakura anywhere. Her chakra wasn't there either.

_-"Please help me, Sasuke-kun! It hurts so much… oh god, it hurts…"-_ Sasuke wordlessly stood up and ran after Yume as fast as he could.

'_Just hold on, Sakura, Yume-san should be there soon, I'm coming! Fight the pain, don't let it overwhelm you!'_ he mentally pleaded to whoever was listening as he sprinted through the streets of Konoha.

* * *

About a minute after she had let the bird go, there was a knock on Akemi's door. She opened it, and gasped.

"Y-Yondaime-dono? How…?" Yume cut her off, breathing heavily.

"That's… not important… where's Sakura?"

"Upstairs in the bathroom-" Yume blurred past her up the stairs, making the pictures on the walls rattle in their frames. He threw open the door and carefully picked her up.

"Sakura! Sakura, you in there? Answer me?" She just writhed in pain, her face a tinge of blue.

'_Sasuke-kun! Please, help me, Sasuke-kun! It hurts so much… oh god, it hurts…_'

_-"Just hold on, Sakura, Yume-san should be there soon, I'm coming! Fight the pain, don't let it overwhelm you!"-_ Sakura faintly registered Sasuke's voice over the pain. Yume carried her back downstairs, setting her in the living room.

"Gomen ne, Sakura-chan." Yume said before slapping her face, stunning her.

"BREATHE!" Sakura took in a ragged breath and let it out quickly.

"AGAIN!" She breathed in again, her eyes scrunched tight with pain.

"Good, now keep that up! Don't you dare stop!" Sakura nodded weakly before another spasm of pain hit her, making her cry out again. Sasuke threw the door open, and ran over to Sakura.

"Sakura! Sakura, I'm here!" He took her hand in his, noticing how much softer hers was. She looked at him out of almost shut eyes, squeezing his handpainfully as another wave hit, arching her back. Yume turned to Akemi.

"Haruno-san, if you could please get a cloth and a bowl of cold water." She nodded and quickly walked out of the room. Yume kneeled by the pink-haired girl.

"Sakura, can you tell me just what hurts, or is it all over?" Sakura took in another gasping breath.

"I… It's… my bones…" She cried out again, limbs flailing.

"MY BONES ARE MELTING!" she screamed. Yume placed a hand on her forehead and reached out with his mind.

'_Hane? Hane, if you can hear me, answer!'_

**("… God, I didn't think it would be this painful for her…")** the demoness admitted. Yume's brow furrowed.

'_What are you doing to her? Is what she said true?'_ Hane sighed, but her voice was getting faint.

**("Almost. Her bones aren't melting, they're just-")** The connection was severed as Sakura screamed again. Yume withdrew his hand from her head and took out a small scroll. Opening it revealed Kin once again.

"What's wrong, Yume-san? You need me to quickfetch someone fastfast?" he squeaked. Yume nodded.

"Go tell Haku, Hiashi, Natsumi, Naruto, and Hinata that Sakura's getting her gift."

"Go telltell girlboy, old nopupils, Natsumi goodcook, foxboy and little nopupils pinkhair getting gift? Okay, me speedfly fastfast!" the diminutive bird zipped from the house, and Yume cautiously placed a hand on Sakura's arm. His eyes widened.

"Sorry, Sakura, but I have to check something." She nodded, her eyes firmly shut, as another spasm hit. While she was already in pain, Yume experimentally squeezed her upper arm, immediately letting go. He was no medic-nin, but bone was _not_ supposed to be malleable! Sakura feebly grabbed his shirt sleeve.

"Tell… Tell me… what's wrong…" she choked out.

"Are you sure you want to know?" She nodded, stifling another cry. Yume took a deep breath, taking the bowl from Akemi as she reentered the room.

"Your assertion that your bones were melting may not have been far off. Bones aren't supposed to go squish like yours just did." Akemi's hand flew to her mouth, and Sakura's eyes snapped fully open in horror. Sasuke winced as she squeezed his hand again.

**("Almost done with the first wave, chick, hold on. I know you can do it!")**

'_I… I'm trying… but… it hurts… it hurts so much…'_ she weakly replied. Yume wiped her brow with the damp cloth, while Sasuke stroked her hair, silently encouraging her. Her body lifted from the couch in one great spasm. Then, the pain was gone, only leaving a funny pins-and-needles feeling all over her body. Her ragged breathing slowly returned to normal.

"Daijoubu ka?" Sasuke asked, running his hand over her cheek. She opened her eyes tentatively, and smiled.

"I… I think so…" she faintly replied.

"How do you feel? Besides worse than hell?" Yume asked her. She gave a small laugh.

"Tired… This was a really sucky way to start off my birthday…" Sasuke smiled.

"Now you know how I felt." She pouted up at him, sticking out her lower lip.

"Meanie! Don't pick on an injured person!" Sasuke snorted.

"Yeah, you're feeling better." She blushed, humphed, and looked away. All of a sudden, her eyes widened again, her mouth stretching in a voiceless scream, back arching in pain. Yume whirled back around.

"Sakura, BREATHE!" She took in another ragged breath.

"Sakura? Doushite?" Sasuke asked as he dodged a flailing arm.

"My… MY BACK!" she shouted with tears in her eyes. Yume quickly rolled her over on her stomach, holding her arms down so she couldn't flail. His eyes widened as he saw her shoulders _pulsing_. He grabbed the back of her shirt collar and ripped the back of her shirt off. Her shoulder blades were bleeding. Her breaths came in short gasps, her body shaking wildly.

"Sasuke! Hold her legs down!" Yume ordered. Sasuke quickly held her ankles against the floor. Her body writhed, unable to thrash freely. She suddenly gave a loud, ear-splitting scream, as in an explosion of blood a pair of huge, feathered wings burst from her shoulders. Her body went limp, and Yume let go of her arms slowly. She whimpered and tried to look over her shoulder. Her eyes widened immediately. Sasuke was speechless.

"I… I have wings…? How…?" she asked hoarsely. Yume took the cloth and began cleaning the blood from the feathers.

"Now it makes sense. What happened first was Hane making your bones hollow, like a bird's. The extra bone mass went into these babies." He said, wiping more blood gently from her wings. She watched with a sort of morbid detachment as she tried moving one of them. It flapped in response, almost knocking Sasuke across the room if not for a timely dodge out of instinct.

"You might want to wait until we're outside before you try that. Nice dodge, by the way, Sasuke." Yume said amusedly as a bead of sweat trickled down Sasuke's face. There was a knock at the door, and Hinata stuck her head in.

"I-Is Sakura-chan okay… oh, sugoi…" Hinata murmured, awestruck.

"Is she okay Hina-chan? Why'd you stop? Is something wrong?" Naruto's voice piped from out of view. Sasuke shook his head.

"She's fine, dobe."

"TEMEEE! Lemme at him, Hina-chan!" Hinata was gently holding the eager boy back. He struggled, not wanting to hurt her by shoving her out of the way.

"C-Can you guys wait? Outside? Until I have some r-real clothes on?" Sakura asked with a crimson face. Sasuke finally realized all she was wearing was the front half of an oversized shirt. A small trickle of blood leaked down from his left nostril as he hurried out the door. Sakura saw it, and blushed even more. Yume stood, and walked over to the door.

"Hinata-chan, why don't you give her a hand adapting her shirt?" Hinata meekly nodded, and entered the house, closing the door after her. Sakura stole up to her room, beckoning Hinata up after her. She found some suitable under things and put them on, the bra fit strangely around the base of her wings. Hinata stuck her head in the door.

"C-Can I come i-in?" she asked, ever timid.

"Sure, go ahead." Sakura said tiredly, sitting on her bed after slipping on a pair of shorts. Hinata closed the door after herself. She walked over and reached out, stroking a wing.

"They're real…" she murmured. "You're so lucky, Sakura-chan. They're so beautiful." Sakura blushed a little.

"I'm still getting used to them. Oh, what am I going to do, Hinata-chan? I can't just walk around with these!" Hinata swallowed and sat down next to the other girl.

"I-I don't think you have a choice… But you said you didn't care what people thought of you anymore, th-that we were going to all be outcasts together." Sakura sweatdropped.

"You're right, again. I did say that, and I still mean it. It's just… None of my shirts will fit me now!" There was a pecking on her window. Sakura curiously opened it, revealing a struggling Kin carrying a package far too large for him.

"Please take, it tonheavy!" he squeaked pitifully. Sakura hurriedly took it from the tiny bird, and he landed on her windowsill gasping for breath.

"That new clothesstuff from Natsumi goodcook. Said it fits around bigwings." Kin looked up at her and cocked his head. "Bigwings look good on pinkhair!" he declared loudly before vanishing in a poof of smoke. Sakura opened the package, revealing several modified bras, shirts with two zippered slits going all the way down the back, and several pair of pants. The shirts were the same red as her dress, and the pants were a darker red that matched the shirts well. She glanced over at Hinata, who stepped back into the hall. Sakura changed into a new bra, and slipped on a new shirt, fitting them around her wings, zipping up the shirt. It fit like a glove. She rustled her wings, finding an apparent full range of motion. She smiled, and slipped on a pair of the pants, which also fit great. Sakura beckoned Hinata back in, and she looked at the new clothes.

"Well this solves my clothing problem." she said with a bright smile. Hinata nodded, then gasped, and took a lock of Sakura's hair in her hand.

"Sakura-chan, your hair…" Sakura paled slightly. She was really proud of her unique hair; she was the only one in the village with bright pink hair. She took a bit of it in her own hand and looked at it closely, gasping when she saw that it was still the normal pink, but it had a feather pattern to it, making it look like pink downy plumage. Hinata enviously released the hair, looking at the ground blushing slightly. Sakura walked out of the room, and Hinata followed, murmuring something.

"What was that, Hinata-chan?" Hinata blushed, and mumbled a little louder.

"I said, I hope my gift is as pretty as that…" Sakura giggled. Akemi looked her daughter up and down, studying her new appearance.

"Well?" Sakura said dramatically, spinning for the full effect.

"You look like a little angel!" Akemi said, giving her daughter a hug. Sakura beamed, hugging her mother back. "Don't let those other nitwits in the village bother you, honey, you look gorgeous." Sakura nodded.

"Bye mom! We'll be at Naruto's again!" she called as she walked out of the door.

"SUGEEEEEEEEEEE!" Naruto yelled, dumbstruck. Sakura giggled again. The four of them walked down the street towards Naruto's house, Yume having already gone on ahead. The villagers' reactions varied from speechless shock to open disgust, more of the latter. Sakura's happiness was quickly eroding under the glares and whispers of the other people of Konoha. Suddenly, Sasuke was walking alongside her, an arm around her waist. She blushed suddenly, looking over at him quickly.

"Don't let them bother you, tenshi-chan." Sasuke murmured to her, making her turn five different shades of red.

'_TENSHI-CHAN! He called me an angel!'_ she repeated thunderstruck.

**("Well, was it worth it, chick?")** Hane asked with a chuckle. Sakura gave her a mental glare.

'_You could have warned me it was going to hurt that much!'_ Hane laughed nervously.

**("My bad. I didn't think it was going to be that painful for you! Look, to make it up to you, I'll show you how to use them, deal?")** Sakura smiled.

'_Deal. Starting tomorrow, once we get to Naruto's house.'_ Naruto yawned hugely all of a sudden.

"Maaan, I'm tired…" Sasuke smirked.

"Too tired to spar, dobe?" Naruto jumped back to life immediately.

"HA! YOU WISH, TEME! LET'S GO!" Naruto sprinted to the training grounds, making the other children laugh.

* * *

Hinata woke up early in the morning, just like always. She rose from her bed, walking into the bathroom, and washed her face. Once she was done, she walked back into her room, looking at the calendar. A sudden wave of panic hit her. It was her thirteenth birthday today. That meant…

**("Well, I'm gonna give you a thirty second warning, unlike the others, since I'm so nice. Starting… now.")** Hinata sprinted from her room, running as fast as she could. She threw open the door to her father's room, awakening him.

"Hime-chan? Doushite…?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Otou-san, I… I'm getting my gift in less than thirty seconds!" Hiashi was fully awake immediately. He scooped his daughter up in his arms, and they both vanished, appearing outside Yume's mansion. Yume was waiting in the doorway.

"Knew you'd be here sooner or later." he said with an apologetic smile. He led them inside.

"Do you know what Same is going to do to Hinata?" Yume shook his head.

"No idea. But, I think we'll find out rather quickly." He stopped walking when Hinata did. Her eyes were wide open, and her mouth was working, but no sound came out.

"Hime-chan? Daijoubu ka? Hinata?" Hiashi shook his daughter gently. She shook her head, and put a hand on her neck. Yume put an ear to her mouth. He just barely heard her response.

"I… I can't… breathe…" she whispered, eyes wild with panic and fear. Hiashi looked worriedly at his friend, who started pacing.

'_Come on, think, Yume,_ think_! There's got to be a sort of logic to this.'_ Hinata's face was starting to tinge blue, her lips already that same shade. Hiashi pried his daughter's hands off of her neck, and inhaled in shock.

"Yume!" he shouted. "I think she's getting gills!" Yume ran back over, and checked. Sure enough, there were lines along her neck, just under her jaw line. The lines soon started to bleed, and Hinata started trembling. Yume grabbed the girl, sprinted for all he was worth for his bathroom and kicked the door open.

"YUME!" Natsumi shrieked, having been prepared to get into her morning bath. She snatched up her shirt and covered herself.

"Sorry koi, but I gotta borrow your tub!" he said before unceremoniously dropping Hinata into the water.

* * *

Hinata's vision was steadily getting worse. She could only think of one person, though.

'_Naruto-kun…'_ Her vision kept darkening. She felt herself being picked up, and could faintly feel a pain in her lungs and neck.

'_Please, help me Naruto-kun… I can't breathe…'_ Suddenly, it hit her that she could be dying. Panic restored her vision temporarily. She saw herself being carried down a hallway.

'_Please… I'm scared, Naruto-kun… I don't want to die… not yet…'_ Then, she heard something.

_-"Hinata-chan! I'm coming!"-_ Was that Naruto? But she thought he was still asleep!

_-"Don't you dare give up, Hinata-chan! You're not dying yet!"-_ Just hearing his voice restored some hope to her heart. Almost ironically, air suddenly rushed into her lungs. She took great heaving gulps, and soon her vision returned to normal. Looking around, she realized that she was in a tub. Underwater. Breathing. She stuck her head above the surface to ask what had happened, but she couldn't breathe again when she lifted her still-forming gills from the water, and Yume pushed her head under again. She lifted her face from the water, keeping her gills carefully under.

"Y-Y-Yume-san? Wh-What's happening to me!" Hiashi patted the top of her head reassuringly. She looked over at him.

"Just keep those gills underwater, hime-chan." Natsumi slipped her nightclothes back on.

* * *

Naruto woke from a peaceful slumber, rubbing his eyes.

'_Kyuubi? Did you wake me up?'_ The demon snorted.

**("Feh. No, I didn't. Why?")** Naruto stretched before falling back over in his bed.

'_Ah, nothing. I thought I heard someone for a second there.'_ He was almost back asleep when he heard it again.

_-"Naruto-kun…"-_ He sat bolt upright in bed, looking around his room.

"Hinata-chan? Where are you?" He couldn't see her anywhere in his room.

_-"Please, help me Naruto-kun… I can't breathe…"-_ Naruto jumped out of his bed.

"Hinata-chan!" He stuck his head into the hallway. No, she wasn't there either.

_-"Please… I'm scared, Naruto-kun… I don't want to die… not yet…"-_ Naruto started to panic. If he was hearing her in his mind, then he'd try the same trick.

'_Hinata-chan! I'm coming!'_ he thought as hard as he could as he ran from his room.

"Naruto-san?" Haku asked, seeing the boy run away. Naruto just kept running.

'_Don't you dare give up, Hinata-chan! You're not dying yet!'_ he mentally screamed. He heard a commotion from his parents' bathroom, so he ran inside.

"HINATA-CHAN!" She was up past her neck in the water. She spun around at the sound of his voice.

"Naruto… kun…?" she asked breathlessly. He looked up at his father.

"What's happening to her?" Yume shook his head and bonked Naruto's.

"Calm down, Naruto. She's getting gills, so she has to be in the water to breathe." Naruto nodded, and then knelt by the edge of the tub.

"You feeling better, Hinata-chan?" She nodded hesitantly.

"D-Demo…" Naruto grinned.

"You're still scared, huh?" She nodded meekly, blushing from embarrassment. He thought for a moment, then grinned and slipped into the tub with her.

"N-N-NARUTO-K-KUN!" Hinata yelped. He settled against the back of the tub and took her in his arms, her face completely aflame. He was blushing slightly too, and just held her loosely, but strongly. Her heart racing, she settled against him.

"Feel better, Hinata-chan?" She tried to get her heart rate under control, and the men's snickering and Natsumi's "awwwwwwwwww-ing" didn't help. She snuggled closer to him, relieved that she was still there.

"Yes. I feel much better now, Naruto-kun." Hinata felt a patch on her back begin to burn slightly, making her wince.

"Hinata-chan? Doushite?" She rolled over, so her back was towards the surface. She winced again as another wave of pain hit her. Yume gave a low whistle when a _fin_ began to rise out of the middle of her back. She turned her head and managed to look over her shoulder and see it. Naruto squeezed her reassuringly, unsure of what else to do. The fin eventually stopped growing, almost five inches in height.

**("Way to go, kid. I knew you could do it. Oh, I've given you another bonus, but you won't be able to notice it yet. Just give it a few years and you'll see!")** Hinata blinked once. Naruto's mind raced to find a change of subject, and found one, though not the best.

"Um… Hey, I like your new teeth, Hinata-chan!" She blinked in confusion. New teeth? She ran her tongue over her teeth, finding them now slightly pointed. She blushed, squeaked again, and shoved off of Naruto to the other end of the tub. She submerged her head in a futile attempt to hide her blush.

'_Same? When can I get out of the water?'_ Hinata asked. Same chuckled.

**("You sure you two don't have some _business_ to attend to first?")**

'SAAAAMEEEE!' Hinata mentally screamed, going several different shades of red. The demoness roared with laughter.

**("Don't forget I'm a succubus, I can't help it, Hinata. You should be able to close your gills off with a little concentration. Same goes for reopening them. The fin isn't retractable, though.")** Hinata nodded, and concentrated on breathing air. She felt a tingling in her neck and chest and suddenly she felt the distinct need to breathe. Her head broke the surface, and she gasped in air. Hiashi knelt by the tub.

"Are you done, hime-chan?" She nodded and started to rise out of the tub when she realized that she still only had her pajamas on, and now they were wet. She immediately submerged up to her head again with a mortified _eep_-ing noise, her face a deep red. Yume sighed and hauled Naruto out of the tub by his nightshirt, throwing him over a shoulder. Natsumi followed him out the door, scolding him for dripping water all over the floor. Hiashi stuck his hand out the window, and the Hyuuga ANBU outside handed him a fresh set of clothes for the heiress. He set the clothes on the counter and walked out with a smile.

"We'll have Natsumi-san alter some clothes for your new fin, hime-chan." He closed the door, and Hinata removed her wet pajamas and started drying off. She remembered how nice it had felt to be in Naruto's arms, and sighed happily with a blush on her face.

* * *

Sakura knocked on the door of Naruto's house, her wings rustling in a reflexive twitch. Haku opened the door for her.

"Oh, ohayo gozaimasu, Sakura-san." he said as he held the door open for her. She smiled at him and giggled at his gentlemanly behavior.

"Why thank you, kind sir, and a good day to you as well!" They both laughed slightly. Suddenly, the silent atmosphere was shattered.

"AAAAAAARGH! NA-RU-TOOOOOOOO!" Sasuke's voice rang out from down the hallway. Naruto tore by them, running for his life, as several fireballs followed him.

"GEEZE, TAKE IT EASY SASUKE! IT WAS JUST A WATER BALLOON!" he shouted as he ran out the door, the fireballs losing impetus and landing on the ground, setting it ablaze. All Naruto had wanted to do was try and lighten the mood around here, because he was still kinda worried about Hinata. But did Sasuke see it that way? Nooo, of _course _not! Sasuke ran past them as well, slightly wet and fully intent on injuring the blonde. Sakura followed them outside, and saw Naruto staying just a little ahead of the black-haired boy. Hinata walked out of Natsumi's room with the older woman.

"So just tell me when you need more of those clothes, Hinata-chan, and I'll have them in a jiffy. Oh, Sakura-chan! Are the clothes working alright?" Sakura nodded, smiling.

"Un, they fit great!" Sakura looked over at the timid Hyuuga and smiled.

"Didn't you get your gift today, Hinata-chan? Happy birthday!" Hinata smiled.

"Th-Thanks, Sakura-chan. I, um… I got… gills… and a fin…" Hinata sounded less than enthused about her gifts. Sakura looked at Hinata's back, and her eyes widened when she saw the fin sticking out of the back of the girl's shirt.

"Yo, Sakura-chan! How're the wings? Gonna give them a test run today?" Yume asked as he strolled up. Sakura nodded, and then whirled around as Naruto screamed and jumped into the pond, his pants on fire. Sasuke was laughing hard, doubled over with tears leaking out of his eyes. Naruto surfaced and gave a death glare at the older boy before swimming out of the pond. Hinata rushed over and helped him out, drying him off. Yume chuckled, and shook his head.

"Just like Hiashi and me. Though those fireballs are a lot easier to dodge than Jyuu-ken techniques." Yume walked outside and clapped his hands, calling the children to attention. They ran over and stood in front of him.

"Alright, today's business. Sakura, I want you doing tricks in the air by the end of the day. Sasuke, work on controlling your fire for different results, like a stream or a bunch of smaller fireballs. Hinata, I want you getting more comfortable underwater. We'll all be going to the lake, so Sakura has some nice open sky, and there's plenty of water for any accidents Sasuke has." Naruto snickered, but stopped when a tongue of fire went just inched from his face. Haku shook his head.

"Haku, I want you working with your kekkei genkai. I've seen some of the stuff that you can do, but I want you more than comfortable with it. Naruto, you still haven't gotten the hang of walking on water, so that's what you'll be doing. Everybody clear?" he asked, ignoring Naruto's groan of disappointment. The kids nodded, and headed to the lake. Once they got there, Hinata stepped into some trees and changed into her swimsuit that she had brought along. She walked over to the water, and shakily out onto the surface until she was in the middle of the lake. She stopped using her chakra to stay on the surface and slipped under, shivering a little. With a little concentration, she felt her gills open, and she took a deep gulp, still getting used to it. She looked around, and marveled at how clear everything was. Soon, she was darting around underwater like she was supposed to be there. Meanwhile, on the surface, Sakura walked to the water's edge and spread her wings, letting the sun warm them. Sasuke stopped training and watched her, a small smile tugging at his lips. She looked over and smiled at him, then looked up at the wide, open sky. For some reason it beckoned to her. Her wings swept down, and she rocketed off of the ground. It was exhilarating, feeling the wind under her wings, running through her hair. She flapped her wings again, and rose higher. An idea suddenly popped into her head, and she grinned. Using her powerful wings, she shot up into the sky, climbing higher and higher. Suddenly, she pulled her wings close to her body, and fell like a stone towards the lake. Adrenaline flooded her system, and she snapped her wings open at the last second, banking parallel to the water, her face not even six inches from the surface. She flew along at a brisk clip, and soon, a fin broke the surface beneath her, traveling at the same speed. Hinata rolled over so her face was above the water, and smiled up at the other girl.

"This feels great!" Hinata cheered. Sakura nodded, rose up some, and did a barrel roll before climbing higher back into the sky. Naruto fell underwater once again, and then struggled to the surface.

'_DAMMIT! It shouldn't be this haaard!'_ he mentally wailed. Kyuubi just snickered.

**("Well, I think I can stop interfering now.")** As soon as he said that, Naruto rose to the surface and easily stood there. He stared at his feet, and jumped up and down a few times.

"DAMMIT YOU FREAKING STUPID FOX!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!" Kyuubi just erupted into long, raucous laughter. Yume rolled his eyes. He suspected that Kyuubi might have been interfering, but now it was certain.

"NARUTO! Get over here!" Naruto stomped across the surface of the water to his father.

"What?" he asked sullenly.

"You should thank Kyuubi. By interfering with your control, he made it so it's almost instinct to do that. If you don't believe me, try to walk up a tree, but don't actively mold chakra." Naruto looked at his dad strangely, but walked up to a tree, and walked… right… up… without… concentrating… Damn, he hated it when his dad was right. Naruto glared at his father from the bottom side of a tall branch near the top.

"Well?"

"Urusei." Naruto muttered as he jumped down, landing by his dad. He looked up at the previous Hokage, and cocked his head.

"Ne, otou-san?" Yume looked down.

"Nani?" Naruto scratched his head.

"Something weird happened earlier this morning. I was sleeping, but then I heard Hinata-chan's voice…" Yume raised an eyebrow.

"When? What did she say?" Naruto scratched his chin.

"I dunno. About thirty seconds before I ran into the bathroom. She was saying how she was scared and didn't want to die." Sasuke walked over, and leaned against a tree.

"The same thing happened to me yesterday, right after you left. I heard Sakura asking for my help." Yume started to laugh, shaking his head slowly from side to side.

"What's so funny?" Naruto demanded, standing up straight.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just didn't expect you four to have bonded so quickly. I'll explain it when the girls finish their training-" Yume was cut off by a resounding crash nearby.

"Itai…" Sakura moaned as she shakily stood up from the remains of the unfortunate tree. Sasuke ran over and helped her up.

"What happened?" She blushed from embarrassment and looked at the ground.

"I lost control of my spin…" She winced when she tried to move her left wing and it just flopped on the ground, limp. Soon pale brown chakra gently flowed over the surface of the wing and it moved correctly again. Yume walked over and ruffled her hair.

"Nice moves up there, looks like you enjoy flying." Sakura nodded with a huge smile on her face.

"It felt so great up there, like I was weightless…" her eyes gained a dreamy tint as she continued talking. Yume snapped his fingers in front of her eyes, making her start, then flush again. Yume chuckled.

"Well, seems like you've gotten the hang of it, mostly…"

* * *

Halfway across the continent, in Kirigakure, the Village of the Mist, a pair of women walk out of a casino. These were no ordinary women, oh no.

"Tsunade-sama, I can't believe you lost all of our money _again!_" the shorter and younger-looking of the women practically screamed.

"Oh stop yelling, Shizune! We'll just make it up and then some at the next casino!" Tsunade declared proudly, not making eye contact with her subordinate. Shizune gave a frustrated groan, which was seconded by the small pig following them. Tsunade just laughed, but her laughter died when she saw someone in the street ahead of them, blocking their path.

"Long time no see, Tsunade-hime." Jiraiya said, his normal lecherous grin missing.

"Jiraiya," she almost spat, "if I've told you once I've told you a thousand times, I'm never going back to Konoha. Never. So stop wasting both of our times and give up already you old pervert." Tsunade started to walk past him, but her caught her arm.

"At least let me tell you something, and then I don't care if we never see each other again." Jiraiya lied. He still loved the sucker in front of him, but she would never admit that she loved him too.

"Fine. Spit it out." she snarled and looked him in the eyes. Jiraiya smiled.

"He's alive, Tsunade-hime." Tsunade's brow furrowed in frustration.

"I don't have time for your stupid riddles, you old… buffoon…" she trailed off, her eyes widening. No, it was impossible. She knew what that technique did, she wasn't _that_ much of a fool. He had to be dead.

"I just talked to him, Tsunade-hime. He misses you, you know?" Jiraiya said.

* * *

_FLASHBACK

* * *

_

_Yume looked over at his 'father' and shook his head._

"_Off so soon?" Jiraiya nodded._

"_Of course, my boy. There's **research** to be done, after all!" he said with his trademark perverted grin. Yume clocked his dad over the back of his head._

"_You fuggin' perv! God, I'm glad I didn't turn out like you…" the blonde growled as he tried not to laugh. Jiraiya chuckled. Yume's face softened as he looked up at the night sky._

"_You miss her, don't you? Tsunade-hime." Jiraiya asked him. He laughed and nodded._

"_Yeah, I do. It's been a long time since I've seen her…"_

"_She'll come back eventually, Yume. Don't worry about it. Well my boy, I'll see you later! Kirigakure hot springs, HERE I COME!"

* * *

_

_END FLASHBACK

* * *

_

Tsunade said nothing, just staring at Jiraiya with wide eyes.

"How… how long…" she choked out.

"He's been awake for almost two months now." Tsunade turned and looked to the east.

"Tsunade-sama, doushite?" Shizune asked, walking closer to her. The sannin suddenly surged into life.

"YUME! I'M COMING!" Tsunade shouted as she sprinted without warning out of the village, Shizune close on her heels. Jiraiya chuckled and walked towards the exit at a leisurely pace. He'd take his time going back home.

"After all…" he murmured, taking out a telescope, "I must do some _research!_"

* * *

Haah! Almost seventeen pages long! Oo

* * *

**Dragon Man 180** –I hope you like Sakura's gift. Yeah, I know I screwed up the birthday calendar, but hey, artistic license.

**Kirin Kage the Shadow Girl** – I know it took a while, and I'm sorry! Really sorry! Don't worry, Inner Hinata, as I shall dub her, will be coming out more soon.

**The Shinobi** – I'm sorry! I promise I'll update more regularly and more often from now on!

**Scorpio V1.2** – No, Haku's the youngest in this fic. Only by a few minutes, but… Anyway, I might bring up the age issue, not sure yet. And I'm sorry I haven't reviewed your story, I've had some issues here… ¬¬

**Metanaito** – Heh. Yeah, none of 'em are gonna be real fun getting the gifts…

**GreatMarta** – Damn, you guess good… oo And yes, Sasuke isn't going to be "I-have-my-ego-shoved-so-far-up-my-ass-and-worship-me-for-i-live-for-revenge" anymore. Inspiring, eh? Gee, thanks! And thanks again for translating it!

**sephynarutocloud** – No worries, my friend, there will be plenty of NaruHina coming along.

**TimeShifter** – Yes, Akatsuki will be brought in. Probably more in the sequel, but… oops! You didn't hear that! Anyway, I'll try to keep it moving! I just have some plot to fight my way through.

**Kagome1015** – Yeah, kinda sadistic, ne?

**animewatcher** – Yes, I live! Kinda. slumps over on desk

**TFI-Muse** – The honorific "-dono" is reserved for lords and other extremely important people, like the Kages. Naruto's gift comes next time!

**Lady-Frisselle** – Heh. Yeah, he's gonna have some fun with his family's jutsus… evil laughter

**Shinnyu Kudzu** – Heh. Yeah, they're alike a lot. And if you didn't catch it, yes, Hinata's demon is a succubus, so she thrives on sex… anyone smell awkward situations later?

**Ame Suisei** – Yes, small horde… small, _unstoppable_ horde…

**plue-sama** – Yes, it stops… I'm sorry again!

**Ckeffer** – One of the best you've ever read…? Wow. Indeed, long live NaruHina!

**Kunoichi Smile** – I hope this answered your question. That makes two of us!

**Skuld's Sentaro** – Temari might be a good match… never thought of that… good idea!

**violently-cheerful** – Mass chaos, anyone?

**GirlWaterShaman** – Heh. It's not hard, I was just kiddin'.

**Obiki Doragon** – Perfect? Thanks!

**Youko Artemis** (anonymous) – I tried to make the gifts varied for everyone. All I'll say is, you were three for three with your guesses. Garra will show up later, don't worry all you homicidal insomniac fans.

**aligrl & sapphirewitch** – Thanks! Top 5?

**cdromdrive** – I won't say what Naruto will be getting yet. You have to wait. :P

**Night-Owl123**, **zornoid13**, **Dagorwen of Ithilien**, **Place-your-name-here**, **hollywood1390**, **writerlover101**, **cpotaylor**, **waterfox96**, **lone wolf blade**, **NaruHina113**, **gabrielle**, **December Jewel**, **patheticlife.worthlesslove**, **Liedral**, – Thanks!

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	17. Behold, Fight Scene no Jutsu!

(peeks out of a bomb shelter)

Hi everyone! I know I ahven't updated in a long while (4 months) but I've had a ton of crap going on with my life. My computer has crashed six times, I started college and had to adjust to that, and someone ripped my self-confidence to itty bitty teeny pieces at school because I scored higher than them on a test. That affected my writing, but I worked out the kinks and here the next chapter is. There should NOT be such a gap between this one and the next. LOOK AFTER THE REVIVEW RESPONSES FOR IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS! THANK YOU!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing but Kazara Yume, Kazara Natsumi, Shiroko and some of the techniques used in this chapter.

* * *

Hinata followed her father towards the Hyuuga training grounds, Hanabi walking beside her. She got more and more nervous with every step that she took, but she kept on walking anyway. Her hand traced over the bracelet around her right wrist. Even without his chakra, Yume-san had made sealing charms for the five of them. They concealed their outside gifts quite nicely, so they all could at least have a semi-normal life outside in the village. 

Hiashi glanced at his older daughter over his shoulder. He hated doing this, he really did. As if the village council making him reinstate the Hyuuga Council of Elders wasn't bad enough, now they had demanded that his daughters fight one another, the loser possibly being branded as a member of the Branch family and the winner made the official Hyuuga heir. He couldn't just choose one of his children, he loved them both too dearly to place them in the Branch family. He could only hope that dobe came through with his part of the plan…

Hanabi looked at her older sister with mixed emotions. She felt bad for beating her, but she also hated the way her sister held back against her. It was supposed to be an all-out fight, not a one-sided thrashing. Hinata never even tried to fight back. Lately though, Hanabi had noticed, since she started hanging out with the other kids… She'd been getting more confident. It wasn't much, anyone else would still be a wuss, but for Hinata, any backbone was better than the way she had been.

The three Hyuuga nobles reached the door that lead to the arena. According to tradition, Hiashi knocked four times, waited as many seconds, and then opened the door. The council smiled smugly as Hiashi and his daughters bowed, while Sarutobi looked on nervously.

Hiroshi, the lead Hyuuga on the council, and previous clan head, smirked as the three of them rose. "Hiashi-sama, we have called you here today to put an end to the debate of who will be heir to the Main family. You will take your place at the table, and watch as the heir is chosen by battle." Hinata swallowed nervously as she walked to the middle of the training ground and stood opposite her sister.

Hiashi took his seat, but looked over at Hiroshi. "I have invited someone to come and watch the match. I trust they will not be turned away." Before the council could ask who was invited, the door to the grounds was slid open without so much as a knock. The council turned to glare at the intruder, but choked on the insults they had prepared.

Yume strode through the door wearing his Hokage robe open, displaying casual ninja gear underneath. He grinned a foxy smile at the stunned council. "Miss me, suckers?" he asked as he plopped down in a vacant seat near the council and put his feet up on the table.

Hiroshi was enraged. Someone had the gall to impersonate a dead Hokage, much less the Yondaime? Simply unforgiveable! That man had never given them the respect they deserved, just like the rest of his family! He stood and activated his Byakugan to teach him a lesson, only to find… that he couldn't see his tenketsus!

Yume just snickered as Hiroshi-baka tried to use his bloodline. "Won't work, bub. My bloodline protects me from that, remember? Oh, I know. 'Oh my god, he's dead! This can't be him, who the hell is it?' Well guess what, I'm still here. Now then… I came here to see a good fight, so let's get this started!" he cried, pumping a fist into the air. Hanabi looked at her sister, and noticed that Hinata wasn't even surprised… she was actually smiling at him! She knew this impostor somehow, and she had had a hand in this, somehow. Her eyes activated out of anger, and she slid into the Jyuuken stance. Hinata tore her attention away from her sensei, and slowly slid into the same stance.

* * *

Two minutes later, Hinata roughly fell to the ground and spit up some blood. Hanabi glared at her again. Hinata stared up at the sky, her vision slowly fading to black. _'Is this my limit…? Am I really this weak? I'm sorry, Naruto-kun… I tried, but I can't be strong like you…'_

**("BULLSHIT!")** Same interrupted. **("Have you already forgotten what he told you last night!")**

_FLASHBACK_

_Hinata was sprawled across Naruto's lap with her face flaming red. They'd been training with their summoning contracts, and were all tired. Sakura had managed to summon a slug about six inches long named Katsuki, while Sasuke had managed a foot-long purple snake. Hinata had gotten a white tiger kitten that liked playing with her hair, Haku had gotten a bear cub that wanted food, and Naruto had finally managed to summon something other than a tadpole by the end of the day. She had tripped while walking over to him to talk, and now she was in his lap. Naruto just started stroking her fin with his hand, and Hinata almost melted, her embarrassment over her position forgotten._

_Same made a noise of assent. **("Ooooohh… I **_**told_ you this would feel good…")_**_ Hinata sighed again, then let out a happy mewling noise._

_Naruto let out a deep sigh, and finally spilled what was on his mind. "Tousan told me what you have to do tomorrow, Hina-chan." _

_She stiffened under his hand, and tears welled up in her eyes. Sitting up, she brushed them away. "I-I can't do it, Naruto-kun… She's my little sister, I c-can't hurt h-her…"_

_Naruto snorted. "You shouldn't go out of your way to hurt her, but don't be afraid to fight back, Hina-chan! You have to fight back! I know you can do it! You said you wanted to be like me, didn't you? Well, the first step is NEVER. GIVE. UP. You have to keep fighting as long as there's breath in your body. _I_ believe in you, Hina-chan, even if you don't believe in yourself."_

_Hinata blinked tears from her eyes and looked away from him. He got an idea, and spun her face around and quickly kissed her on the lips. Hinata's head exploded into fireworks, and she got a dumb, blissful smile on her face. He kissed her. Naruto kissed her, plain worthless Hyuuga Hinata, full on the lips. She looked up into his cerulean eyes as he smiled and blushed slightly._

"_You win, and you can have another one of those, Hina-chan."_

_END FLASHBACK_

Hinata's eyes snapped open as gray chakra surged around her body. Her bracelet that hid her demonic features was yanked off of her wrist, making her fin jut out through her shirt. She forced her aching body to her feet, and her injuries started fading, the bruises caused by Hanabi's strikes vanishing into nothing. She looked her sister in the eye, and Hanabi stepped backwards in shock. Instead of the normal blank eyes of a Hyuuga, Hinata's eyes were a cold grey color with a slit pupil in the middle.

Hiroshi and the rest of the council were rooted to their seats with terror as wave after wave of chakra rolled off of the heiress. "I promised someone that I would try my hardest…" she spoke clearly and confidently, "… and I have no intention of letting him down!" She bit her thumb and ran through five hand seals before slamming her hand on the ground. _"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"_ Hiashi smirked and shook his head whle Yume let out a whoop.

'_Please work please work please… work…' _Hinata opened her eyes once the smoke had cleared, expecting to see a kitten again, but… _'Did I do that?'_

The tiger that she had summoned stood almost six feet tall at the shoulders, and was at least twelve feet long from head to tail. Her paws were bigger than Hinata's head, she realized as the tiger shook herself. Hanabi fell on her butt on the ground as she stared open-mouthed at what her sister had just done.

The tigress let out a rumbling growl. "Who has summoned me?"

Hinata swallowed nervously and stepped forward. "I-I-I did, t-t-tora-san." The tiger turned and looked at her.

"Oh, you're Shizuka's girl, huh? We were wondering when you'd get the scroll. Nice to meet you, I'm Shiroko."

Hinata bowed and smiled nervously at the large feline. "H-Hyuuga Hinata…"

Shiroko nodded at Yume before turning back to face Hanabi. The White Tigers were in the man's debt for saving them long ago, and tigers never forgot a favor or a slight. "So, you have to beat her, huh? No problem."

"Please Shiroko-san, don't hurt her, she's my little sister…"

Shiroko nodded. "Of course." In a white blur, the tiger had pinned Hanabi to the ground, her fangs an inch from the terrified girl's face. Hanabi screamed repeatedly to Hiashi to save her, then to Hinata. "Give." Shiroko growled into the young girl's face.

Hanabi shouted as loud as she could. "I GIVE! I GIVE UP, JUST DON'T EAT ME!" Shiroko got off of her, and walked over to Hinata, leaving Hanabi a trembling mess on the ground.

"Just call anytime you need help, Hinata-san." With that, she vanished in a poof of smoke. Hinata walked over to Hanabi and offered her hand.

"Ane-ue…" Hanabi stared at Hinata's hand, not understanding why Hinata was still so nice to her.

"Good fight, Hanabi." the older sibling said gently. Hanabi teared up and launched herself at her sister, latching around her waist.

"Ane-ue… I was so scared… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Hanabi degenerated into sobbing, constantly repeating that same phrase over and over. Hinata rubbed her back and comforted the crying girl.

Yume stood and stretched. "Weeeeell, I think this fight's over." Hiashi smiled at the sight of his daughters making up.

Hiroshi stood as well. "We will discuss this… unforeseen turn of events, and will let you know of our decision as soon as we make one." The council filed from the courtyard with astonished looks on their faces. Yume and Hiashi shared a high-five, and both of them laughed. The blonde man turned to the girl who was slipping her bracelet back on as she helped her little sister up off of the ground.

"Oh, Hinata? It's Naruto's birthday today, just so you know." Hinata gasped and dashed to her room. Snagging the medical kit off of her bedside table, she ran for all she was worth to her sunshine-kissed crush.

'_Hang on, Naruto-kun… I'm coming, I'll be there soon.'_

* * *

Naruto groaned as he rolled over in bed, sweat trickling his brow. His muscles ached like nobody's business. He hadn't trained _that_ hard yesterday, had he? 

**("Kit, you awake? Good.")**

Naruto let out a muffled curse as his brain caught up to his body. _'Ah crap… it's my birthday…What are you gonna do to me?'_ he asked resignedly.

Kyuubi laughed and shook his head, not that anyone could see it. **("Ah, quit your whining, whelp. You're just getting your musculature strengthened, and I decided to be generous and give you something even better than an increase in chakra.")**

Despite the pain all over his body, Naruto's interest was caught. _'Better than more chakra? What is it?'_

**("Heh. Chakra is so weak, but it's all you ningen have. I'm giving you partial access to my youki reserves. And before you can ask, baka, youki is what we demons have instead of chakra. It's far better, but your inner coils have to be overhauled a little so they can handle it.")** Naruto moaned into his pillow as he clutched it. Every nerve in his body was protesting, and his muscles felt like someone was using them for kunai practice.

"Naru-chan? You awake yet honey?"

Naruto managed to turn his head to look over at his mother standing in the doorway. "… Hurts…" was all he could say.

Natsumi hurried over to him and brushed some sweat-dampened hair out of his face. "I know it does, sweetie, but you can do it. Just hang in there, okay?" she said as she kissed his forehead. "Can I get you anything?"

Naruto shifted in his bed before replying. "… Hina-chan…" he mumbled. His mother only giggled and kissed his forehead again before walking out of the room. Naruto closed his eyes as the burning sensation increased. If this was how bad he felt, he actually felt sorry for making fun of Sasuke… almost. After a few more minutes of slow, tortuous pain, Naruto couldn't take it. _'Hina-chan… where are you…?'_

_-"Hang on, Naruto-kun… I'm coming, I'll be there soon…"-_ Naruto only groaned in response to the pain. After a few minutes, Hinata threw the door open and slid to a stop next to his bed. She took the lid off of her case and withdrew a pre-dampened cloth, which she used to wipe his brow clean of sweat.

"Hina… chan…" he muttered, his eyes fluttering in response to her touch.

"I'm here, Naruto-kun, just relax." The pain crescendoed after a few more minutes. The base of Naruto's spine steadily started hurting worse than the rest of his body, making him roll over and whimper into the pillow. Hinata started to roll him back over, but Yume's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"I'm sure he has a reason to do that, Hinata…" Yume trailed off as he pulled the sheets back from his son's body just in time for a tail to burst from the small of Naruto's back. The boy shouted something most impolite into his pillow as his ears shifted up and changed into a pair of fox ears on the top of his head. His body slackened suddenly, and he tiredly lifted his head and smiled at them.

"Hey…" Yume ruffled his hair affectionately, and rose.

"Come on out when you're clean and dressed, Naruto. I have to go check on Haku-"

"Naruto-san?" Haku's jaw was hanging loose as he looked at the other boy. Naruto did a double take of the former girly boy. Haku was, in a word, ripped. Defined muscles now adorned his whole body, not huge hulking ones, but lean, coiled muscles. His hair was also now a snow white color, The boy in front of them looked almost completely different than the skinny, feminine child that he was yesterday.

"Haku? What the hell happened to you?" Naruto forgot his aching body and ran over to his best friend. "You… You look like a _guy!"_ Haku just laughed and hugged Naruto.

"I know! Isn't it great? It turns out Tsume had been giving my gift to me in small segments every birthday, so I wouldn't be crippled by the pain."

**("… Now why didn't _I_ think of that?")** Kyuubi idly wondered, making Naruto sweatdrop. Haku scratched the top of his head where a pair of white fuzzy bear ears sat. The other boy flicked his tail back and forth, watching it with a sort of curious detachment.

"Heh. You actually don't look too stupid, dobe." Sasuke commented from the doorway. A vein in Naruto's forehead started twitching, but he spun around and ran back over to Hinata instead of commenting. The dragon host glanced at Haku, then looked more carefully before one eyebrow raised. Haku shrugged, but he just laughed.

"Hey Hina-chan, how'd your fight go?" Naruto asked as he hugged the shy girl. Her face turned a bright red, and her eyes glossed over slightly. Even though Naruto had claimed her as his girlfriend, she still wasn't used to being hugged by him, and sometimes she wondered if she ever would be.

"I-I won, Na-Naruto-kun." she quietly said as she poked her index fingers together.

"That's GREAT! See, I knew you could do it!" Naruto picked her up and spun her around in the air, making her squeak in surprise. As the children started talking amongst themselves, Natsumi leaned back in her husband's embrace as they watched.

"They're all growing up so fast…" she whispered. Yume leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"I know. These kids are the hope of Konoha. They'll grow to be some of the strongest ninja this village has ever seen. Now if only the villagers would see them as the lonely children they are, and not some form of monsters…" he trailed off, his voice thickening with anger. Natsumi reched up and ran her fingers through his hair.

"They'll prove themselves, koi. Just you wait." Natsumi laughed as Sasuke gave a sharp tug on Naruto's new tail, which resulted in the much faster and stronger Naruto, along with twenty clones, chasing Sasuke out of the room and towards the courtyard.

"GOD, NARUTO, IT WAS JUST A JOKE!"

"JOKE MY ASS! GET BACK HERE AND TAKE YOUR PUMMELING, YOU BASTARD!" the Narutos roared in unison.

* * *

Sakura walked out of the door of her house, only to be bowled over by a smaller girl. Sakura helped her to her feet, but stopped once she got a good look at her. The girl's white eyes were shining with fear, and she was out of breath. 

"Are you Hinata-chan's little sister?" She nodded, and looked around nervously.

"D-Do you know ane-ue? Could you help me?" Before Sakura could ask what was wrong, five men from the Hyuuga household, judging by their clothes and eyes, landed in a circle around the girls.

"Hanabi-sama, come with us. You cannot run." Hanabi wrapped her arms around Sakura's waist, thoroughly confused and frightened. Sakura's hand was inching towards the bracelet around her wrist.

"What do you guys want?" Sakura asked, doing her best imitation of Sasuke's glare. Her pink hair and green eyes somewhat weakened it, however, making it seem like she was pouting. One of the men stepped forward.

"Hanabi-sama is to be branded into the Bunke, at the orders of the high council." Hanabi whimpered and hid her face against Sakura's hip. Sakura smiled brightly, making the men relax somewhat.

"Oh! In that case… How about no?" In one fluid motion, she tore the bracelet from her wrist, and with a snap her wings shot out of her back, fitting through the holes in her shirt. She grabbed Hanabi in her arms and rocketed up into the air, not stopping her ascent until the streets were far below them. Hanabi just stared at the older girl.

"You're… like ane-ue?" Sakura nodded, watching the angry figures below them.

"I think I know a safe place. Hold on, Hanabi." Hanabi wrapped her arms around Sakura's neck, and the winged girl flew through the air, her powerful wings guiding them towards the safest house in Konoha. After a few moments' flight, she landed outside the mansion and ran to the door, Hanabi still in her arms. Hanabi looked over Sakura's shoulder and gasped.

"They followed us!" she cried as Sakura glanced backwards as well. She hurriedly opened the door and slammed it closed again.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, distracted from chasing Sasuke. The black-haired boy walked over as well.

"Hanabi?" Hinata rushed over and the youngest girl launched herself at her older sister.

"Ane-ue! The council sent people to fetch me from my room and they brought me into a dark room and they were gonna brand me with the branch house seal and chichi-ue didn't know about it and I got away and found her and I'm so scared!" the hysterical girl buried her head in Hinata's shoulder. Yume offered his arms to her, and Hanabi reluctantly moved over to the man at Hinata's insistence. He looked at the kids.

"I'll let you give our guests a warm welcome. Shout if you get in over your head." He walked off to the guest rooms, and Natsumi followed, fretting like a mother hen over Hanabi. The children looked at one another, and nodded. Sasuke took off his bracelet, letting the ridge of scales show themselves under his shirt. The children all filed out the door, their demonic features apparent to the guards that they stared down.

"Child, you will return Hanabi-sama to us… Hinata-sama? What is the meaning of this?" Hinata's aura was something that it had never been before, making the other kids edge away from her slightly. Hinata was more than willing to hurt someone. Badly. Naruto cracked his knuckles.

"Now see here, dorkface, that's Hinata-chan's little sister you've scared silly." the blond said as he bared his new fangs at them. Sasuke stepped forward and popped his neck.

"We don't take kindly to someone messing with family." Sakura stood next to Sasuke, and glared at them.

"You guys have some nerve, scaring a little girl like that." she said, her wings rustling with her anger. Haku said nothing, merely standing behind Naruto at an angle, flexing his new muscles. Hinata, however…

"I will never forgive you. _No one_ threatens my family and gets away with it." she growled. Naruto grinned.

"Well guys? One for each of us, huh?" The guards slid into the gentle fist stance, and glared at them.

"You demons cannot hope to win." Sasuke smirked. Then, as if some unseen signal passed through the area, all the combatants exploded into action.

* * *

Naruto charged his opponent headlong. The guard was more than confident as he activated his Byakugan… 

"_KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"_ At least, he was until there were fifty-one of the boy charging him, and he couldn't see any of their tenketsu. He started attacking anyway, but the clones swamped him and then let Naruto form three clones right by him. He placed his hands out, and the clones mirrored his action, making them look like they were all holding something. Identical looks of extreme concentration appeared on the four faces as sweat began to trickle down them. At first, nothing happened. Then, there was a small swirl of energy between all the hands, which soon grew until it was a vortex barely contained by the joined hands. The four of them charged the man as he eliminated the last clone.

"EAT THIS!" four voices shouted in unison. They thrust their hands forward, and there was an explosion which sent all participants flying, the clones poofing out on contact with the ground. The guard was embedded in a tree, unconscious, while Naruto picked himself up off of the ground, covered in small cuts and bruises.

'_Heh… I did it...'_ He'd been training with his father and the old pervert almost nonstop over the last couple of days learning the basics of that technique. _'_Rasengan_, huh…? I think I like it.'_ He ran as fast as his abused body would let him towards Hinata's fight.

* * *

The last Uchiha stared at his opponent, a confident smirk playing at his lips. The Hyuuga elite guard glared at him. 

"Don't be so confident, boy. You have no chance of victory." Sasuke shrugged, his hands still in his pockets.

"Maybe." He took a deep breath, and then a large stream of fire jetted out of his mouth as he exhaled. The guard, who hadn't seen him do any hand seals, barely jumped over the attack. He didn't jump over the flame-coated fist which caught him square in the face. As the guard rolled around on the ground to put out the fire, Sasuke made a few simple hand seals before putting fingers to his lips.

"_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"_ the stream of fire produced was… more than Sasuke had been expecting. At least five feet wide, it missed the guard, but the ensuing explosion didn't. Knocked on his knees by the shockwave, he couldn't recover before Sasuke's knee found his nose. The man slumped over on the ground. Sasuke gave him a swift kick in the ribs for good measure, then looked at Sakura. Smiling, he sauntered over back to the house. The trick with the flaming hands was something he'd thought of at the spur of the moment. It worked fine, but his arm warmers were ruined. He'd have to investigate getting some fireproof bandages or something to wrap around his wrists.

* * *

Sakura watched her opponent warily, and leapt into the air when he charged her, staying out of his range of attack. Thinking quickly, she formulated a plan in her mind. She climbed even higher, out of range of his Byakugan, then circled behind him. She dove right in the blindspot, and he could only see her when it was too late. She slammed into him with the force of a sledgehammer, and lifted him into the air. Her strong wings beat hard, unaccustomed to the excess weight of her passenger. She climbed higher and higher, then tucked her wings close to her body. Yume-sensei had been training her in taijutsu, since hers was abysmal. She hadn't tried this move with anything besides a log before, but she was confident she could do it. She slowly began to spin as she neared the ground, then started spinning faster and faster. 

"_Shuuseihan Renge!"_ The unfortunate man slammed into the ground hard, sending fracture lines along the ground from the point of impact. Sakura landed rough, rolling to a stop a short distance from the victim. She checked him once the dust cleared (and she pulled the top half of his body from underground), and he was out cold. Probably some light head trauma and a concussion, but alive. She stumbled as she walked back to the house, more than a little dizzied by the move. Sakura couldn't help the giddy grin that spread across her face at the success of her new trick. Sasuke came up alongside her.

"Nice trick. Looks painful." She laughed, and gladly leaned on him for support after he offered his arm.

"Yeah, but I'm so dizzy the path's spinning!" she giggled as she leaned against the wall.

* * *

Hinata glared with all her might at the man in front of her. 

"Please forgive me, Hinata-sama, but Hanabi-sama must be branded." The servant explained as he nervously looked at the heir in front of him. She merely slid into the Jyuuken stance and activated her Byakugan.

"I cannot. Now prepare yourself, I will hold nothing back." she said as she charged suddenly. The guard parried her hit and delivered one to her chest. Hinata coughed, and collapsed into water, saturating the ground around him.

"A… _Mizu Bunshin_? But when…" Hinata slid to a stop on top of the stream behind the man. She focused on the water beneath her, and forced it to her will. Same had said that it would not listen to her unless forced, so she directed all her anger at her sister's attackers into the water. It vibrated with her rage, and started rippling, waiting for her command. She gathered the water in her mouth, taking in as much as her cheeks would hold. As instructed, she laced some of her own chakra into the water in her mouth.

"_Suiton: Chiisai Suitaihou!"_ She expelled the water, and a large ball made of the liquid flew through the air and hit the back of the man's head with an audible _smack_. He whirled around, disoriented, only to receive another in the face. She panted heavily, noticing that she was having trouble staying on the surface of the stream. The man regained his bearings, only in time to see her open-palm strike connect with his face, sending him flying through the air. Already unconscious, Naruto took a passing kick at him mid-route, making him hit the ground hard. He ran up to her and steadied the wearied girl's footsteps.

"You were awesome, Hina-chan! He didn't know what hit him! _POW!"_ he shouted as he thrust the arm that wasn't helping her through the air in front of him, mimicking her final blow. She just giggled slightly at his antics, and hugged his arm.

"Th-Thank you, Naru-kun." He blushed at his new nickname, and looked over at Haku's fight. Trying not to laugh, he continued on towards the house.

* * *

Haku watched his opponent carefully. _'Ninja Rule number 3: Observation is the key to knowledge, and knowledge is the key to success.'_ he repeated in his head, remembering the phrase drilled into their minds by Iruka-sensei. The man charged him suddenly, and Haku leapt to the side, narrowly dodging a strike aimed for his heart. Being an aspiring medic-nin, he knew full well the kind of damage the Hyuuga taijutsu style could cause. He'd just have to eliminate his opponent's mobility. He held one hand behind his back and made three seals with it before taking a deep breath, the almost painful cold in his chest telling him the technique was ready. 

"_Hyuuton: Seikyoutouketsu Endan!"_ A pale blue blast of energy flew at the man. He screeched to a halt, which made the attack fall short. Or so it seemed. It worked just like Haku wanted it to, freezing the man's legs to the ground. As he worked to free them, Haku made more one-handed seals, and some water from the air condensed and froze hovering in front of him, forming into needles.

"_Hijutsu: Sensatsu Hyuushou!"_ At Haku's bidding, the needles shot through the air and impaled the man in a few pressure points, knocking him out efficiently and quickly. He slumped over at the knees backward, his legs shin-down still frozen to the ground. He calmly walked over to the others as they made their way back to the house.

"Great job, Haku! That was awesome!" Naruto cheered as he gave Haku a gentle punch on the arm. Haku laughed and returned the gesture. Naruto went soaring through the air after a resounding _THWACK_ when Haku's fist hit his shoulder. Horrified, the now white-haired boy ran as fast as he could to the dizzy fox vessel.

"NARUTO-SAN! Oh god, I'm so sorry, are you okay? You didn't break anything did you? Oh you're bleeding! Agh, I'm such an IDIOT!" Haku fretted over the boy as Naruto sat up slowly. Haku just kept berating himself until Naruto clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Calm down, Haku! You haven't had a chance to get used to your gifts yet!" Haku went a bright red, and nodded behind the hand. Naruto moved it, and Haku helped him up. They made their way back over to the others, just as Hanabi ran out of the house and latched onto Hinata again.

"Ane-ue was so cool! I didn't know you could fight like that! … No wonder I lost." She pouted as she let go of the giggling Hinata. Hanabi ran to each of the older kids and hugged them, thanking them profusely for keeping her safe and praising them for their fighting skills.

* * *

It was about three hours later when the front door was, quite literally, knocked off of its hinges. Hiashi stormed through the door and continued on a warpath to the dining room. 

"Hey hey hey, calm down buddy!" Yume pleaded as he grabbed Hiashi's shoulder. The clan head glared at him.

"'Calm down'?" His voice was strangely even. "How can I be calm when my youngest daughter is probably either branded into the branch house or killed because she refused to cooperate?" Hiashi's tirade was cut short when he heard Hanabi laughing from the dining room.

"Or, she could be safe and sound right behind us." Yume said, trying his hardest not to laugh. Hiashi threw the door open and sagged slightly with relief at the scene inside. The three girls were laughing hysterically along with Haku as Naruto and Sasuke fought in an exaggerated sort of samurai battle with chopsticks. The two danced across the dining room table, their "weapons" constantly clashing with one another.

"I shall defeat you, rogue!" Naruto cried as he swung a chopstick down towards Sasuke's head. The other boy smirked.

"I think not, nobility scum." His voice oozed with confidence as he easily blocked Naruto's swing and lunged forward as if to stab him. Naruto parried his strike and victoriously swatted the black-haired head of his opponent.

"HAH! I win, Sasuke!"

"Hmf. You wish dobe. Check again."

"Eh? DAMMIT!" Naruto cursed loudly as he saw both of Sasuke's chopsticks hovering over vital points of his body. Hanabi collapsed into a mad giggling fit against the gasping Hinata while Sakura howled with laughter, wiping her eyes.

"Please reconsider your options, rogue-san." a sweet voice said in Sasuke's ear. Eyes widening, Sasuke noticed the chopsticks poised over pressure points on his neck. Haku smiled amiably at the other boy, but Sasuke poked Naruto anyway, "killing" him.

"AAAGH! I.. am finished… Avenge me, my… comrade…" Naruto gagged dramatically, and fell off of the table after stumbling around clutching his chest. As Naruto lay in a twitching pile on the floor, Hanabi fell on her back and kicked her legs in the air as she convulsed with laughter. She'd never had this much fun before in her life. Sakura's wings shook in time to her laughs as she picked herself up off the floor. The boys on the table couldn't hold it in anymore at the blonde's behavior and they degenerated into laughter as well, leaning against one another for support.

"Hanabi…?" Hiashi's voice drew their attention to the doorway. Hanabi sat up quickly and ran to her father, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Chichi-ue…" she whimpered into his robes. He looked at the now somber children.

"I cannot thank all of you enough. You kept her safe when I could not." Naruto just waved off the older man's speech.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Hiashi-san. Besides, Hanabi-chan is cool." Hanabi looked up at her shocked father.

"Chichi-ue, I made friends! Naruto-ani is really funny, and Sakura-ane saved me! Can I play with them more?" she asked, looking all the part of her seven years. "Please?"

"Of course you can." He kneeled and looked her in the eyes. "And I think I was wrong in keeping you from going to the academy." Hanabi squealed and hugged her father again.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama? Wh-What are you doing here-" 

"OPEN THE GATE BEFORE I KNOCK IT DOWN!" the legendary medic-nin bellowed at the shaking guards. She was fully willing and capable of knocking it down, too, which scared the guards more. She had lost Shizune somewhere on the way here, she couldn't keep up. Tsunade hadn't really cared, to tell the truth. The only thing that mattered was seeing whether her old teammate was telling the truth, or needed a slow and painful death.

* * *

Yume stood in the entry hallway with Hiashi, both watching Haku test his new strength. Currently, the boy had in his arms Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata. Hanabi was backing up so she could jump up too. Haku only looked mildly exerted, and when Hanabi landed on top of the others, he grimaced, but didn't shift his footing. It was when Naruto started to add _Kage Bunshin_ one at a time that Haku started looking nervous. 

"How long do you think he'll last?" Yume asked, raising an eyebrow when the boy's knees started to shake at ten clones.

"I give him ten more."

"Twenty-three." Yume countered his friend. They kept count, and Haku gave a strangled cry as he fell over when he had twenty-five more clones in his arms. The clones vanished in a huge poof of smoke, and the seven children all started laughing.

"Yu… Yume…?" Almost a whisper, the voice made Yume spin around and stare. Leaning on the door for support stood the woman who had raised him. Tsunade took a tentative step forward and reached out a shaking hand.

"Yume… It is you…" she murmured as she put her hand on his cheek. Yume's eyes started to water as his chest felt like bursting.

"Y-Yeah… kaa-san…" Tsunade let out a sob and crushed him in a hug, his arms wrapping around her automatically.

"My boy… my precious boy… Oh god, I thought I'd lost you forever…" she spoke softly as she dug her fingers into his shirt, and he leaned his head down so their foreheads touched. After standing there for a while, just soaking up each other's presence, they were noticed by the children.

"Who's she?" Sasuke asked. Naruto shrugged.

"Dunno, but 'tou-san seems really happy to see her." Yume turned his head over to them.

"Naruto, get over here and meet your grandmother!" Tsunade looked up at him sharply.

"_Grandmother?_ What the hell are you talking-"

"Who's this, tou-san? Is she really my granma? She looks too young." Naruto asked as he bounced on the balls of his feet. Yume laughed as Tsunade let him go and squatted down to get a good look at the boy. She took in his every feature, Naruto doing the same.

"O… obaa-chan?" Naruto asked haltingly. Tsunade hesitantly opened her arms and smiled, only to be knocked flat on her butt as Naruto attached himself to her in a vice-like hug.

"Yeah, brat, I'm your obaa-chan." She smiled as she hugged the boy back. Yume really was alive. And she had a grandson now. Jiraiya was safe for now… until she caught him peeping again.

* * *

Later, once the children had met Tsunade and Natsumi had had a female bonding moment with her doing girl talk, Yume turned to the kids. 

"So, Sasuke, Sakura, you've been doing a few missions with your team this week, right? How do you feel with them?" Sasuke made a sour face.

"Yamanaka's annoying, and won't let go of my arm. Aburame's… quiet. He's not too bad. The missions are a waste of time." Sakura thwapped him lightly on the arm, making him scowl at her. "What, she _is_ annoying! I'm tired of loosing the feeling in my arm every time she's within ten feet of me! And I hardly think getting groceries is a skill a ninja needs to perfect!"

"Well, as of tomorrow, you have your first c-rank mission." Yume interrupted. All the kids spun to look at him. "Teams Seven and Nine will work together on this one. You're supposed to escort a bride builder back home, and guard against any attacks on him until the bridge he's building is finished. I'd tell you to meet at the gates at seven, but go at nine. Don't forget who your sensei is, Naruto, Hinata, Haku." The three kids sweatdropped and nodded. They could afford to be late, Kakashi-sensei wouldn't be there 'till at least nine-thirty.

* * *

The five kids, concealing bracelets firmly in place, arrived at the main gate promptly at nine. Much to the annoyance of Ino. 

"Sasuke-kuuuuuuun! You're late, but I'm sure you have a good reason!" she said in her sugary sweet tone of voice, making Naruto gag and Sasuke's skin crawl.

"Ino, please-"

"Ino-chan." She butted in as she traded glares with Sakura.

"Ino… chan…" Sasuke ground out the suffix like it was painful, but the girl didn't notice. "Let go of my arm."

"But Sasuke-kun-"

"OFF. NOW." Sakura spat, practically tearing the blonde girl's grip off of her man's arm- Sakura blushed as she realized her train of thought.

**("Sorry, chick, I get possessive… But it's not like you weren't thinking of doing it anyway.")** Hane grumbled inside her cage. Ino's glare shifted up to full-death-mode. Kurenai raised an eyebrow. The girls were always jealous of one another, but Sakura had never done anything like this before.

"And why should I, forehead-girl!" Sakura humphed.

"Because that's not how you hold onto a boy's arm. Watch." she said, sounding like she was talking to a little child as she linked her arm with Sasuke's left arm. "How's that, Sasuke-kun?" she asked.

"Better. Now I can get to my weapons pouch faster if I need to." he grunted, but did nothing to make Sakura move her arm. Haku shook his head as steam started to come from Ino's ears. If their client and Kakashi-sensei didn't get here soon…

"Yo." Kakashi-sensei said casually from atop a light pole.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto, Sakura, Ino, and, surprisingly, Hinata screeched at him while Haku, Sasuke, and Shino gave him a glare that would kill a kitten on sight. Ino turned and gawked as the timid girl turned bright red. Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, you see, the old lady next door had tripped and broken her hip…"

"LIAR!" More shouting and glares. Kurenai pinched the bridge of her nose. Honestly, the man was an elite jounin, one would think he could be on time once in his life.

"Are these brats supposed to protect me? They all look like babies, especially the super short one with the super stupid face." An old man, smelling strongly of alcohol, leaned against the gate. The stench made the vessels' noses burn.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked with a tic in his forehead.

"Mm?"

"Can I kill him?" Naruto asked almost casually, making Ino's jaw hit the ground and the old man drop the bottle he was holding.

"No, Naruto, killing our client would be counterproductive." Kakashi sounded bored as he answered his vertically challenged student.

"What about maiming?" Sasuke asked, a dark look on his face that made their client flinch. Kurenai tried hard not to laugh.

"No, Uchiha, no maiming either." she admonished him. The old man gathered his wits back together and looked down at the genin.

"I am the super bridge builder Tazuna. It's your super important duty to guard me super well so I can finish the super bridge I'm building." And with that, a supposedly routine mission began…

* * *

**Scorpio V1.2** – You make it sound like I update fast. ¬.¬ 

**GirlWaterShaman** – Sorry!

**KKSG** – I'm glad you like it.

**Dragon Man 180** – Webbing's not a bad idea. I might work it in later.

**Bryr** – Rives? Dunno who you're talking about.

**December Jewel** – Yeah, it's rather painful to get…

**naruhina1** – I hope I met your expectations.

**drakedragon1** – I'm glad everyone likes Kin. He might make a repeat appearance.

**Lady-Frisselle** – S'okay, that might motivate me more if people are demanding.

**GreatMarta** – Hope you like this one.

**EVERYONE ELSE** – Thank you for your continued support. If you want a more detailed response, give a more detailed review (and catch me before 1 a.m.) And now, an announcement…

_**LISTEN!**_

_**ARE YOU LISTENING?**_

_**YOU SURE?**_

_**GOOD!**_

1 - Naruto has **_TWO_** contracts, one with **_toads_** and one with **_foxes_**!

2 – Sakura's wings are pink, same as her hair. Naruto's tail and ears are golden like his hair.

3 – Yes, Each demon has an element. Sasuke is fire, Sakura is Wind, Haku is Ice, Hinata is Water, but Naruto doesn't need an element because he's just the pure powerhouse.

4 – If everyone likes Kin so much, I'll arrange it so he has an appearance in the next chapter!

_**GLOSSARY**_

"Ane-ue" --Older sister

"Chichi-ue" --Father

"_Shuuseihan Renge"_-- "Revised Lotus" BEFORE you all go "OMG he gave Sakura Lee's technique WTF?11" Let me say this: Yume is an all-around badass, so of course he'd know something like the Lotus. The version he taught her is called _revised_ because it uses the force generated by falling from a great height to do almost the same damage without opening the initial gate.

"_Suiton: Chiisai Suitaihou" --_"Water Type: Small Water Cannonball" This skill is a miniaturized version of Gamabunta's skill. Works the same way.

"_Hyuuton: Seikyoutouketsu Endan" --_"Ice Type: Powerful Freezing Blast" This is the ice equivalent of _Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu_.

"_Hijutsu: Sensatsu Hyuushou" --_"Hidden Type: Flying Ice Needles" One of Haku's bloodline techniques. Makes ice needles and throws them at the opponent.


	18. Wave Mission I: Journey and Arrival

Hey all! I finally return! And to make up for it, I give you this chapter, the longest I've ever written. In honor of me having worked on this story for a year and a half. Before I begin, I'm introducing Haku's future pairing. Awayuki Alana, created by **Stylish-Angel**, caught my eye and seems to match Haku very well. So you ShikaIno lovers can rest easy now, she'll end up with our favorite lazy genius after all.

PLEASE, _PLEASE, **PLEEEEASE**_ read the review responses, I answer questions in them, so check there before you ask something in case I answer it.

* * *

"I'm booooooooooooored…" Naruto's plaintive whine shattered the peaceful quiet of the morning journey. Sasuke growled as Haku blushed at his superior's behavior.

Sakura hit him over the back of the head lightly. "Baka. I swear, you have the attention span of a two-year old."

Naruto glared at her. "SEVEN, dammit! … I just made fun of myself, didn't I?" he asked weakly as Sakura and Ino giggled hysterically. Hinata just patted his shoulder sympathetically.

Kurenai looked over at Kakashi, who was busy reading his book. "Your students seem to be very good friends with two of mine. Does it have anything to do with their births?" she asked quietly.

He merely giggled perversely before returning her glance. "Maybe. Who's to say that they're not just friends because they're all lonely children that no one else would play with?" His almost bitter question caught Kurenai and Tazuna off guard, making them wince. The jounins' eyes then snapped to a puddle on the ground as they approached it along the road.

Hinata looked at it as well. _'Odd… That doesn't feel right.'_

Her demon was pleased. **("Very good, girl. It hasn't rained for several days, so why should there be a puddle?")**

Hinata needed to warn the others, so she acted like she just noticed the 'puddle.' "We're having a really dry year, aren't we, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked casually. Sasuke's eyes immediately went to the puddle, and Naruto and Sakura caught on soon after.

Haku put his two cents in. "Yes, I haven't seen any _mist_ in the mornings for quite a while now." Kakashi smiled under his masks. Yes, these children were very promising. He made himself not dodge the chain as the two Demon brothers leapt from the puddle. A fake shocked gasp escaped his lips before he followed his escape route, letting the brothers "kill" him.

Ino screamed, and backed away quickly, while Hinata slid to a stop between the ninjas and Tazuna, holding a kunai in each hand. Sakura snapped out a miniature fan from her pouch and prepared to swing it. As the ninjas charged him, Haku grabbed the bladed chain in his hands, grunting in pain as the blades dug into the sensitive flesh of his palms. Digging his heels into the ground, the boy gave a sharp yank on the chain as hard as he could.

It didn't have a chance. The chain was snapped out of the anchors on the opposing ninjas' wrists, pulling them off balance in the process. That small delay was all that was needed.

Sasuke took a deep breath and blew a wide blast of flame at Haku and the two ninjas. As Haku collapsed into water, Sakura swung her fan, producing a huge gale that sped up the fire and strengthened it right before it slammed into the unfortunate duo. As they put themselves out, Naruto made a single clone and ran up from behind Haku. He grabbed one Naruto in each bloody hand and flung them at the opposing ninjas.

Both Naruto's feet planted themselves firmly in the faces of the masked ninjas, knocking them both out and back into the waiting arms of Kakashi. "Excellent teamwork, you guys. Hinata, congratulations on knowing that you couldn't do much away from water and going to guard the client. Very good common sense, young lady." Hinata smiled shyly as she put her kunai away.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he looked at Haku's hands. "You gonna treat those or what, Haku." The boy looked at his palms and winced as the pain hit him. Hinata rushed over and whipped out her medical kit. Withdrawing a clean cloth, she wiped the blood off and wrapped his hands in fresh bandages. Kurenai wasn't sure what to think. She had thought that she would need to work on teamwork with her students, but two of them had demonstrated flawless cooperation with Kakashi's team. Ino and Shino, however, had apparently frozen when Kakashi had been attacked. That made her wonder just what Sasuke and Sakura had been doing with the other three when they had missed their missions…

Sakura turned and looked at the trembling Ino. "Are you okay, Ino?" When Ino didn't respond, she smiled evilly. "HEY SCAREDY-PIG!"

Ino snapped out of her trancelike behavior and snarled at Sakura. "You little…"

Sasuke moved in between them, stopping the brawl before it could happen. "That's enough, you two. We have more important things to worry about."

Kakashi shifted his gaze to their client. "Indeed, Sasuke. We were hired to protect you from bandits, Tazuna-san, not ninja. That moves the mission from a C-Rank to at least a B-Rank, possibly even A-Rank. Why did you lie when you were filling out your mission request?"

Tazuna looked up from the ground and sighed heavily. "The fee for a C-Rank almost put us under as it was. There's no way we could have afforded anything higher." Naruto and Sakura finished tying the ninja to a tree where they'd be picked up by ANBU and came over while Tazuna explained the situation in their country.

"Well…" the masked jounin said, "it would just be easiest to go back to Konoha. We didn't sign up for stuff like this, and Haku needs medical treatment." Tazuna looked ill, and something inside Naruto snapped.

"LIKE HELL WE'RE GOING BACK!" he roared at the top of his lungs. "I'M FINISHING THE MISSION I WAS ASSIGNED, KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Naruto pointed angrily at the jounin during his mini-rant.

Kakashi just sighed heavily. "Naruto… There will be plenty of missions later. If we run into a jounin later on, which is possible, genin like yourselves wouldn't-"

"Genin? Jounin?" Sasuke ground out. "What the hell does rank matter on a battlefield?" he growled as his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Ino nervously tried to put her opinion in. "Kakashi-sensei's right, Sasuke-kun, this is getting too dangerous-" Her statement ended in a wheezing breath as Sasuke's blood-red Sharingan speared her with the deadliest glare she'd ever seen. _'Sasuke-kun… Your eyes…'_

"I. Don't. CARE, _Yamanaka_." He spat her surname like it left a bad taste in his mouth. "In a combat situation, the enemy won't care whether you're an elite jounin or bound to a wheelchair!" Kurenai tried to calm him down, only to have the glare turned on her.

Haku glanced at his bandaged hands, and proceeded to yank the bandages off. "I will be fine, Kakashi-sensei. Please, let us continue on our mission." His calm, even voice seemed to stir something within the other vessels, making them even more determined.

"Haku-san will be alright, his hands were only cut." Hinata said in her quiet way. "We owe it to those people to at least try and help, don't we?"

Sakura stepped forward to stand with the others. "We'll never get stronger if we're constantly sheltered, Kurenai-sensei. I know you're worried about us, and we appreciate that, but the only way we'll grow as ninja is to risk ourselves." Sasuke glanced at her, and visibly relaxed as she spoke. Shino said nothing, only moving to stand beside the other genin. Ino trudged over as well, determined to prove her worth to her Sasuke-kun.

The jounin glanced at one another and both sighed. "Well, since you're so determined, we have no choice but to continue." Kakashi said tiredly, making Tazuna leap for joy on the inside. The group continued down the road, unaware of the obstacles before them.

* * *

After a mostly silent boat ride (thanks to Naruto's ten-second attention span), the group were actually in the land of the waves. As they traveled down the road, Kyuubi screamed at Naruto in warning. **("KIT! GET DOWN NOW!")** Naruto yanked Hinata and Haku down as Sasuke pulled the other girls down, while Kakashi and Kurenai covered Shino and Tazuna. Half a second later, a huge sword cut through the air where they had been standing and embedded itself in a tree. The owner landed on it, and looked down at the assembled leaf-nin.

"Momochi Zabuza…" Kurenai whispered, nervousness creeping into the edge of her voice. The missing-nin smirked beneath the bandages that hid his face like Kakashi's mask.

"Well well well… I never thought I would meet the infamous Hatake Kakashi… Copycat Ninja." His gravelly voice echoed about the clearing as Kakashi put a hand to his forehead protector stood between his charges and the bandaged freak.

Kurenai moved to stand beside him and looked back at the genin. "We'll take care of him, you kids guard Tazuna-san." The seven young ninjas surrounded Tazuna in a ring of protection as Kakashi flipped his forehead protector up to reveal his Sharingan eye.

* * *

"Normally, I wouldn't mind being this close with you." Kakashi muttered to a furious Kurenai as the two of them floated inside Zabuza's _Suirou no Jutsu_ (Water Prison Skill). She elbowed him in the stomach as she looked over to the now extremely nervous genin on the shore. "Run!" Kakashi shouted as he saw a _Mizu Bunshin_ advancing on them. "Run, and take Tazuna-san to safety! This was over the minute we were caught!"

Naruto just stepped forward. "There's no way I'm running from this no-eyebrow freak!" His proclamation made Zabuza's eye twitch repeatedly as he stared at the short ninja.

"You brat… you're not worthy to be called a shinobi. I wouldn't be surprised if that _hitai-ate_ was fake." Naruto's fists started to shake as his jaw clenched in anger. How DARE he? He'd worked hard to get his headband, even in spite of all the teachers but Iruka-sensei hating him he'd still gotten it! And he said it wasn't real?

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S THE FAKE! _KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"_ All the copies of Naruto screamed in rage as they charged and mobbed the water clone… only to be shredded by his sword and the real Naruto pinned under his foot.

"Heh…" Zabuza chuckled as he pressed down with his sole, making the boy grunt in pain. "Trying to be all tough, aren't we brat?" Hinata's face lost her fear as anger replaced it. His eyes narrowing to slits, Haku took a step towards the clone out of sheer fury. The four vessels glanced at one another, and after exchanging silent discussion, looked at Naruto. He met their eyes and nodded as best he could.

Hinata charged the clone in her family's taijutsu stance and struck it in the chest right before it smacked her with the sword and sent her flying into the lake with a loud splash. The jounin inside the bubble both started to panic when she didn't resurface after almost a minute. Naruto had taken advantage of the clone's distraction and slipped out from under his foot. "Well… One little baby gone…" Zabuza drawled from his position next to the barrier.

"You bastard!" Kurenai shouted futilely as a tear leaked out of her eye and into the water. The girl had just become a ninja, and now… She watched with a sense of hopelessness as Naruto handed Sasuke a fuuma shuriken. The black-haired boy unfolded it and held it at the ready. Four clones of Naruto leapt out of the bushes and charged Zabuza's clone again with the real Naruto. Within seconds, all five Narutos vanished in a puff of smoke. Sasuke gave a battle cry as he threw the shuriken with all his might at the real missing-nin. The _Mizu Bunshin_ stepped in between to try and stop it, only to have Sakura's fist meet its face quite violently, making it disperse into water.

Zabuza calmly caught the shuriken and almost said something superior, before the second shuriken detached from the first and kept moving, forcing him to jump over it. "Not bad kid… but not good enough!" Sasuke just smirked as a soft explosion sounded behind Zabuza. The bandaged nin turned around… to see Naruto flying through the air where the shuriken had been, his hand reared back to fling the kunai held in it.

"CATCH, YA FREAK!" Naruto let the kunai fly straight at Zabuza's head, making him yank his arm out of the water prison and move away. Kakashi and Kurenai jumped away from the missing-nin, landing on the surface of the water a short distance away. The orange-clad genin hit the water with a splash and went under, resurfacing shortly. Zabuza whirled around and slung the huge star at the blonde in the water before Kakashi could stop him, making Naruto's eyes bug out of his head. Fortunately, Hinata chose that moment to surface, grab Naruto, and yank him under the water with her. Back on the shore, the two emerged from the ice mirror Haku had created as he pulled them through, soaking wet.

"C-C-COOOOLD!" Naruto's shout just made Sasuke let out a snort as he watched the sensei rip Zabuza apart.

Or at least they were before senbon flew in out of nowhere and embedded themselves into Zabuza's neck. Kakashi and Kurenai spun around and saw three figures standing in the trees as the missing-nin slumped to the ground, apparently dead. One figure was taller than Kakashi, and had flowing black hair. It was impossible to tell whether it was a male or female, since it was dressed in a black robe with a clay mask covering its face. The others were almost identical. The only way to distinguish them was the differing markings on their masks.

"Thank you very much for your assistance." The long-haired hunter-nin said in a silky voice. "We've been tracking him for a long time, but you've saved us the trouble of subduing him." By some unspoken command, the identical ninja jumped down and picked up the body, sharing the weight between them. Before anyone could say anything else, all three of them vanished into the mist with Zabuza's body.

Kakashi turned around and looked at the genin and their client. "Everyone in one piece?" the younger ninja nodded, different thoughts going through each of their heads.

'_So that was a jounin… He was nowhere near Itachi's strength. I have to keep pushing myself so I can catch up. Unless I can beat someone like that, I don't stand a chance against Itachi.'_ His face turned into a frown as he mentally tore apart his team's performance, evaluating it and looking for the improvements that could be made.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke before looking at the shaken Ino. _'I think we did okay. Tazuna-san is fine, and nobody's seriously injured… And we kicked butt!" _she mentally cheered, joined by a strident **("HELL YEAH!")** from Hane. Naruto just grabbed Hinata and spun her around in his arms, loudly boasting about how awesome his girlfriend was and how much ass the both of them kicked. Said girl merely squeaked and turned a deep red as she happily went limp in his arms, a huge grin on her face.

"Are you alright, Ino-san?" Haku politely asked the blonde girl as he bent down to meet her eyes.

Her pale blue orbs flashed violently as she glared up at him. "I'm FINE!" Despite her trembling that spoke otherwise, Haku backed off, not wanting to anger her further.

'_I can't believe this…'_ Ino was furious. _'How did forehead-girl get so much better? She didn't even get scared when that freak listed all the ways he could kill us!'_ She slowly stood on her shaking feet and promised herself that she wouldn't be frozen like that again. There's no way that she'd let her rival keep getting farther ahead of her. Shino merely contemplated how efficiently the five children besides himself and Ino had worked together. Idly, he wondered what was so special about them, and then tried to calm his bugs once again. They'd been going crazy ever since the two teams had gotten together by the main gates before leaving Konoha. They kept warning him about demons around them, but he didn't see any demons.

Kurenai suddenly leaned heavily on a tree without warning, and Kakashi fell face-first to the ground. The genin and Tazuna ran over, Sakura and Hinata supporting Kurenai while Sasuke, Naruto, and Haku heaved the other jounin off of the ground, Sasuke and Naruto lifting his shoulders and Haku taking his legs. Tazuna just laughed merrily. "You guys did a super job of protecting me! You can all lick your wounds at my house!"

* * *

The group reached a modest house near the edge of the village and were greeted by Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter. Kakashi was dumped rather unceremoniously on a futon by the boys while Kurenai was gently lowered onto hers, and immediately laid back and fell asleep due to her lack of energy. Tsunami fussed over all of the kids, making them squirm uncomfortably until the bridge builder assured her that they were quite capable of tending to themselves. She fought him about it until she saw Hinata and Haku taking care of the few injuries the genin had sustained.

"Papa, we're running out of food again…" Tsunami said with a note of sadness in her voice. "I have to go to the market today."

Tazuna looked ill. "Tsunami-chan, can't it wait until tomorrow? After all, today…"

"Today what, Tazuna-san?" His onyx eyes looking into the older man's nervous ones, Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow and waited for an explanation.

The bridge builder sighed heavily and looked at the assembled young ninja. "Twice a week, Gatou sends bandits into town who collect 'taxes' from anyone they pass in the street. But those taxes are whatever the bandits feel like, money, food…" his voice trailing off, the genin filled in the unsavory blanks.

"So what? If she needs to go, we can protect her!" Naruto said in his usual belligerent manner.

"You'd do that?" she asked, not daring to hope so. At Naruto's rapid nodding, she squealed with happiness and ran off to grab a few things before they left. The genin huddled together to figure out who should go with her.

"I think Haku and Hinata-chan are the best choices." Sakura said after a moment's thought. "With all the water around and in the air, the two of them would be most able to protect her. Plus with Hinata-chan's Byakugan, she can keep a watchful eye all around them." Everyone made a noise of assent, so Haku and Hinata left with Tsunami after a while.

"So you kids are from Konoha? It must be nice there." Tsunami kindly asked as they walked down the road through the forest.

Haku nodded politely. "Yes ma'am, we are." Hinata smiled shyly at the woman as they continued down the road and made small talk all the way to the town. She gasped when she got a good look at the town, her pearly eyes tearing up. It was a wreck. Buildings were literally falling apart (Haku had to dodge a portion of siding as it nearly hit him over the head on its way down), and the few people that were outside were just standing in the streets with nothing to do. Their clothes were in tatters, and Haku belatedly realized that with their nice clothes and clean bodies, the kids stood out like sore thumbs.

"H-Horrible…" she quietly managed to get out.

"Now you see what Gatou is doing to this country." Tsunami said as they crossed the border into the town. "We used to be so successful, but then he came. And things have just gotten worse since then. Nobody can work, so nobody makes money. And he keeps raising the prices of necessities, like food and medicines, and the taxes just keep going up too."

Haku saw a small girl coughing violently as she was shielded by her mother from a pair of rough-looking men with swords. "But we already paid our taxes this month! And we can't afford Mei-chan's medication anyway!" She said with tears in her eyes.

"Tough, lady, because there ain't no record of you payin' Gatou. So how you gonna pay us now?" the taller man said threateningly as he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.

Tsunami stepped forward without thinking. "Ran? What's going on?"

"Tsunami, no! Get away while you can!" the woman now identified as Ran shouted as the men turned and advanced on Tsunami.

Hinata's shoulders stiffened, meaning she'd flipped personalities. "Haku…" she ground out through gritted teeth. "Go help the girl. These bastards are mine." She ended her statement with a snarl at the men. Haku shook his head.

"Once the threat's removed. I'll guard Tsunami-san."

"Hey, these brats don't look familiar…" the other man said suspiciously.

Hinata growled. "Not that it matters, you won't be seeing much of me." She charged them as her bloodline activated itself. Her hands nailed both of the men painfully before they could even react. Haku quickly dashed over to the little girl and pulled a box out of the bag on his back as the thugs slumped unmoving to the ground.

"Excuse me." he hurriedly said as he slid past the mother and knelt by the girl. Feeling her body shaking in between coughs, and noting the amount of blood she was coughing up, the black-haired boy reached into his box and withdrew a treated cloth. He covered her mouth and nose, and held it there. "I need you to breathe as deeply as you can, okay? Can you do that honey?" Mei shakily nodded, and drew in a deep breath. Almost immediately, her tremors lessened and her cough subsided. "Good, good… Just keep doing that, okay? You're doing great."

Ran let a tear of joy slide down her cheek as she watched her daughter miraculously heal right before her eyes. "H… How…?"

Haku looked up at her as Mei relaxed even more, her quaking almost gone. "She had an intermediary stage of water sickness; moderate to severe muscle spasms, repeated coughing and irritation of the lung tissues. This makes the patient cough blood along with the white mucus you were seeing, resulting in a pink substance known as 'blood snow.' This cloth has been treated with a generic vaccine of the primary stage. It won't cure her, but it will lessen the symptoms so her life isn't in danger anymore."

"Haku is a medical genius, you know." Hinata said with an amount of boastful pride in her voice, proving that Inner Hinata was still in control. Her explanation seemed to knock the women out of their stupor from hearing Haku's almost expert diagnosis and made the boy blush slightly.

Mei's mother bowed so deeply her forehead touched the ground. "I can't thank you enough… Mei-chan is my whole world, and you saved her." Haku shifted uncomfortably under the praise, not used to it at all, turning an even deeper red.

"I-It was nothing, Ran-san." He gently let go of Mei and she ran over to her mother, still holding the cloth to her face, but her eyes sparkled and belied her smile. Haku took out a pouch of herbs and handed it to Ran. "Here, this is more of the herbs that I treated the cloth with. If you give her a couple of leaves ground into a cup of water each day, she should be kept to a very light case with no lasting damage until you can get to a real doctor." At the girls' stunned expressions, he smiled nervously. "I read up on common sicknesses of the country before we came here, and I thought I should prepare some medicine, just in case one of us got sick…"

Hinata blinked, before laughing. "Damn Haku, you're good!" She immediately turned bright red and shrunk in on herself slightly. Ran thanked him even more profusely before walking off with Mei in her arms, the small girl waving cheerfully at him.

"Arigato, onii-chan!" came her muffled goodbye as her mother carried her off, her eyes shining with happiness.

Tsunami looked down at the boy who was calmly packing his things up with a gentle smile on his face. "Haku-kun… That was very sweet of you." Haku blushed again.

"O-Oh, it was nothing… I'm just glad I could help." Hinata smiled and gave Haku a hand up from the ground.

The three of them continued to the market, unaware of the pair of obsidian eyes that followed them closely. _'Finally… I found you… Haku-chan…'_

* * *

Haku leaned against the wall outside of the grocer's while Tsunami and Hinata browsed over the very limited selection inside. He stared up at the clouds heavy with precipitation, dark grey and foreboding. They seemed to add to the hopeless mood in the surrounding environment making it even more depressing. He snapped to attention when he heard Tsume growl loudly from inside his mind before he gasped loudly. _'Tsume? Is something wrong?'_

**("No, cub… on the contrary, it seems that we're about to get reacquainted with some long lost friends...")** Haku started to ask what he meant before a hauntingly familiar voice cut through his thoughts.

"Haku-chan…? Is that really you…?" He spun around and his jaw promptly hit the floor. Standing hesitantly before him was…

"A-Alana-chan?" Awayuki Alana. Her long brown hair was done up in a high ponytail that went all the way down to the small of her back. The sides of her bangs were the same length, but traveled down her front over her shoulders. Her short fringe of the bangs in the middle filled the gap between the long tresses, framing her face perfectly. Her black eyes were a stark contrast to her creamy alabaster skin. She wore a dark purple sleeveless dress that hugged her body ending in the middle of her shins, with a slit up to her hip revealing a pair of black shorts underneath. A black belt adorned her waist, various pouches hanging off of it, while black ninja sandals covered her feet and fingerless gloves of the same shade were protecting her twitching hands and wrists.

She briefly glanced away before meeting his eyes again, small tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. "Haku-chan… it _is_ you!" she cried before she ran forward and embraced her friend, Haku unhesitatingly circling his arms around her and clutching her to his body. His own tears slid down his cheeks as he remembered their last meeting, and subsequent parting.

_FLASHBACK_

_Four-year-old Haku ran down the streets of Kirigakure, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen. He'd been caught in a closet again… But he'd gotten out faster this time! Only one day instead of three! His happy smile faded from his face as he saw smoke billowing from the direction of Alana-chan's house. Speeding up, he reached it as fast as his small legs could go. What he saw when he got there, however, shocked him to the core. Sharp ice spires jutted out of the ground at every angle, some with corpses horribly skewered in a macabre monument to the winter. The very ground itself was covered in snow and ice several inches thick, parts of it colored crimson. He doubled his speed and hurried for the sobbing figure of his best friend huddled in the middle of the frozen wasteland._

"_ALANA-CHAN!" he cried as he slid to a stop beside her. She uncurled herself partly and looked up at him through watery eyes._

"_H-Haku-chan!" she sobbed as she threw her arms around his neck and cried onto his shoulder. "I was s-so scared! A big monster came and killed everyone but me an' then this weird guy came and did something to make the monster go away but then I hurt really really bad and he just fell over and he isn't moving and…" her voice broke into sobbing, preventing any further intelligible speech._

_Figures approached them over the hill, and one pointed at the children. "Look! She's still alive!" Haku looked up at them as they came to stand over the trembling girl and him._

"_Please sir, you have to help her, she's-"_

_He was silenced when he was struck across the face and sent flying away from his friend. He rolled to a stop and shakily stood up again. "KEEP AWAY FROM HER, MONSTER!" The man's tirade was cut off as another ninja rolled over the motionless body on the ground._

"_Kami-sama… IT KILLED MIZUKAGE-SAMA TOO!" Haku backed up, terrified as the ninja surrounded him. _

"_We've let it live for too long!" one ninja cried, raising a katana above his head._

_Haku's eyes widened in horror as the katana descended, seemingly in slow motion. _'No…'_ It came lower…_

'No.'_ Lower…_

'NO.' _Lower…_

'NO!' _Lower…_

"_NOOO!" at his shout, an ice mirror appeared under him, and he sank into its depths. Frigid cold bit at his skin, making him scream in pain, until he landed on a street and warmth surrounded him. Looking up, he saw the sun shining down through the branches of a tree before the darkness claimed him and he succumbed to its call._

_END FLASHBACK_

"Oh my god, I've missed you so much! Where have you been? Why didn't you come back!" she asked as she tightened her grip around his neck, making him gag and turn an interesting shade of purple.

Once she noticed and released him, she looked into his eyes as he saddened. "How could I come back? They thought I killed all those people." Alana flinched and drew away from him.

"H-Haku, it wasn't you… It was Hakuma."

"Hakuma?" She stepped away from him and pulled her dress up to expose the seal standing out on her stomach, just over her navel. It looked similar to Haku's, but it had five points instead of eight.

"Hakuma, she's an ice dragoness… She killed my clan except for me. Mizukage-sama came and sealed her into me, but that killed him."

Haku's eyes widened again as she pulled her dress back down. "You're a vessel too?"

"Too?" she echoed curiously. Haku pulled the bottom of his shirt up and showed her his own seal.

"I have a bijuu in me…" He suddenly laughed at her confused face. "You thought I'd chase you off, didn't you?"

She blushed slightly and put an arm around herself. "Well… Yeah, I did. But I guess we both have our burdens, huh?" Alana gave a quiet giggle, which soon turned into happy laughter as the two friends embraced again.

"Haku? Do you know her?" Both of them jumped at Hinata's voice. The Hyuuga heiress calmly looked at both of them as Tsunami stood behind her.

Haku smiled abashedly. "Ah, Hinata, this is my best friend that I had to leave behind in Kiri, Awayuki Alana." Hinata gasped slightly.

"Awayuki? The legendary clan from Kirigakure?"

"I'm the only one left, all the others were killed by…" she looked over at Haku, unsure of how much she could safely reveal. Haku leaned over and whispered something in the other girl's ear, and she smiled brightly.

"Ah, you have something inside you as well? Oh, where are my manners, I'm Hyuuga Hinata, a pleasure to meet you." Hinata bowed slightly, Alana mirroring her. "Do you have a village, Alana-san? I don't see a hitai-ate on you."

Alana rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Well… no, I'm a missing-nin from Kirigakure. They keep hunting me." Tsunami clucked her tongue.

"Well dear, you're coming with us. You're filthy, and you look like you haven't had a decent meal in weeks." She blushed under the older woman's scrutiny, and Haku gently led her along back out of the town.

"So, Haku-chan, did you two come here on your own?"

"No, we're here on a mission with another genin team. Speaking of them, there are three other vessels along with us." He grinned at her dumbfounded expression.

"Th-Three? But… wow. So who are they?"

Haku smiled. "Well, there's Haruno Sakura, she has an eagle demoness inside her. She's the one with the pink hair, you won't be able to miss her. Then Uchiha Sasuke is-"

"_Uchiha?_ But I heard they were wiped out!"

"Sasuke is the same as you, Alana-chan, the last of his clan… Except for one other, the one who killed all the others, but that's Sasuke's choice if he wants to tell you or not. He acts cold, but once you get to know him he's quiet, but friendly. He has a dragon demon in him. Then, there's Uzumaki Naruto-san." The tone of devotion in his voice made Alana look up at him to see his happy smile.

"Naruto, huh?"

"Yes, Naruto-san is very special. He found me and befriended me, took me in when none of the adults would. My greatest desire is to make sure that he's happy, and that his dreams come true." Haku spoke with such conviction and unmoving loyalty that all the girls were taken aback. Alana didn't know what to think. Haku spoke of him like he was a deity, someone to be revered, as if people were unworthy to look at him. Hinata just blushed, used to the way her friend talked about him, while Tsunami thought it was adorable that Haku was so loyal. When she said as much, he turned bright red and made the girls laugh.

* * *

"Tadaima!" Tsunami cheerfully called as she led the three children into the house. Tazuna was immediately beside her, fretting over her until she calmed him down. She took her father by the arm and dragged him into the kitchen to help her put the food away.

Haku took Alana's hand, making the nervous girl smile at him gratefully. She'd never had much luck with people. They either worshipped her as the last of her clan or despised her for what she held within her.

Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to prepare herself.

"HINA-CHAAAAAN!" an orange blur shouted as it tackled the dark-haired girl to the ground. Alana just blinked as the blur revealed itself to be a blond with bright blue eyes and whisker marks on his face. "I'm glad you're back!" he said as he pecked her on the cheek, making Hinata's brain functions shut down again. She just laid there with a happy smile on her face as the blond bounded over to Haku. "Hey, Haku! How'd the guarding mission go, huh?" As he came to a rest in front of him, she noticed that the boy was shorter than anyone else in the room.

Haku just smiled broadly, seemingly unaffected by the short boy's behavior. "We didn't have any real problems, and I treated a sick little girl." Thrusting an arm into the air, the loud blonde shouted happily.

"YOSH! That's the way to be a good guy, Haku! I knew you and Hina-chan could do it!" He blinked and stared up at Alana, as if he was just noticing her. "Hey, who's she?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. This is Awayuki Alana, she's an old friend of mine."

The vocal boy stuck his hand forward proudly and pumped her hand enthusiastically. "The name's Uzumaki Naruto, number one kickass ninja of Konohagakure, and next in line to be Hokage!" She finally found her voice.

"Haku-chan, _this_ is Naruto?"

Haku's grin widened even more. "Not what you were expecting, huh?"

"Don't feel bad." a new voice from the doorway to the rest of the house chided her. "Nobody knows what to expect from dobe."

Naruto spun around and pointed an accusatory finger at the black-haired boy leaning on the doorframe. "BASTARD!" Alana turned and got a good look at Uchiha Sasuke.

"… A chicken?" she said, unintentionally voicing the first thing that came to mind. She immediately started apologizing, but Sasuke's eyes were staring at her in disbelief as Naruto roared with his laughter. Knocking Naruto over the head, the taller boy stood in front of her, coolly regarding her.

"So who're you?"

"A-Awayuki Alana. And you?" Smirking a bit at the uncertain tone in her voice, he composedly returned her gaze.

"Uchiha Sasuke. I thought your clan was gone."

"Same to you, Sasuke." His smirk widened even more.

"Touché. So you're a vessel?" She nodded, and Sasuke offered his hand. "Glad to have another ally."

Before she could take his hand, another blonde-haired blur glomped onto the dark-haired Uchiha, knocking him onto the floor. "Back off, girl, he's _my_ man!" she snarled.

"INO-PIG! GET OFF OF HIM!" a girl with bubblegum pink hair and bright green eyes yelled as she advanced on the small group. Ino just stuck her tongue out at her rival and turned to look down at him… and saw a pillow in her arms. She dropped the pillow and ran off in search of her self-proclaimed love. "She's gone, Sasuke-kun."

At her words, the pillow exploded into smoke, revealing a very hassled Sasuke. "God, that's the second time today! And it's not even dinnertime yet!" Alana suddenly felt very sorry for the harassed boy.

"Um, just so you know, Sasuke, I'm not going to be a fangirl and drool all over you." she said as she helped him up from the ground. A relieved grin split his face as Sakura walked over. "Well it's nice to meet all of you…"

* * *

One long explanation later (due to the fact that Kurenai and Kakashi had finally woken up and come in halfway through the conversation with Shino and a pissed Ino), the jounin had agreed to let Alana stay with them for now. Naruto and the other vessels were all huddled together apart from the others after dinner, conversing about Alana's situation.

"I'm sure dad would let her come to Konoha!"

"Dobe. It won't be that easy. She has a bounty from another country on her head."

"BASTARD!" One second later, Naruto was kissing the floor with a smoking knot on his head, courtesy of his pink-haired friend.

"Naruto does have a point, Sasuke-kun." Sakura gently reprimanded the boy as Alana stared at the prone Naruto in shock. "I'm sure Yume-san can work something out with Hokage-sama." Sasuke grunted, but bit his thumb and smeared blood across his palm.

He slammed his hands on the ground after three hand seals, and muttered "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" (Summoning Skill). All occupants of the room stared as a small raven appeared from the cloud of smoke. Sasuke allowed a satisfied smirk to appear on his face as the bird looked up at him and watched him scrawl a message on a piece of paper he had procured.

"Message? Yes? Caw!" The raven's halting speech was punctuated by his beak clacking noisily after each word.

Sasuke handed him the note after folding it and placing it inside an envelope. "Take this to Yume-san. You know who he is, right?" he quietly asked.

"Yume! Me know. Me take. Be there in one moon. Caw!" The black bird deftly snagged the paper in his beak and hopped over to the window before jumping out and flapping off.

"Sasuke? How do you know how to summon?" Kurenai asked cautiously. He merely smirked at her.

"Why?"

His superior expression soon dissolved into one of extreme annoyance as Ino latched onto him again. "You're so talented, Sasuke-kuuuun!" she purred as she tried to nuzzle her face into his chest. It took all of Haku's strength (and some of Naruto's) to prevent Sakura from turning the other girl into a smear on the ground.

"Ino…" Sasuke said, looking deeply into her eyes.

"Y-Yes, Sasuke-kun?" Ino said breathlessly, her face steadily getting redder.

"Let go. You're annoying me." Ino's dreamlike state vanished with the sound of a record breaking, and she let go of him, confused as to why he kept pushing her away. She loved him, so didn't he love her? She decided he must just be bashful with the others around and vowed to catch him by himself. Sasuke quickly moved away from the blond girl and sat between Sakura and Naruto, the other girl sitting as close to him as she could be without actually touching him.

At least, she was until Sasuke closed the distance by putting an arm around her and pulling her to him, producing a gasp from her as she flushed slightly. The vessels continued to talk apart from the other kids, getting to know Alana better. Somehow during the course of the evening, Haku and Alana's hands found each other and clasped together firmly, both of them reveling in being together again.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Tsunade glared at the perpetually smiling blonde opposite her. "I'm all in." she boldly declared as she pushed the rest of her chips forward. Jiraiya merely raised an eyebrow, remaining silent as the dealer. _'There's no way I can lose this time.'_ Yume's eyes sparkled as he immediately called her. She triumphantly laid her hand down, revealing the 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of hearts. "Straight flush! Beat that, brat!" Jiraiya's jaw dropped at her almost impossible hand. Yume just chuckled.

"Nice try, kaa-chan." he chided her as he laid his hand down, showing the 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace… all of spades. "Royal flush. I win again." Tsunade cursed loudly as she banged her head on the table repeatedly.

"DAMMIT! How the hell do you have that kind of luck?" He just laughed joyously as he collected her chips and dumped them in the bag they kept the poker things in. She looked up as she rubbed her forehead, still cursing his good fortune under her breath. "Okay Yume… Enough games. Let's take a look at you." Yume made a face.

"Nya! Gotta catch me firs- OWOW_OWOW**OOWWWW**_!" he complained as Tsunade literally dragged him by the ear to the infirmary of the huge Kazara complex and tossed him on the table. "Dammit kaa-chan, did you have to do that!"

Tsunade gazed evenly at him as she opened the cabinet. "Yes, because you always try to escape." He quailed under her stare and obediently pulled his shirt off so she could look him over. She walked closer and as he lay back on the table, her eyes glowed a soft green as she started a diagnostic. "Yume… What the hell did you _do_ to yourself?" she whispered in horrid fascination.

"Shiki Fuujin… But the death god took the demon's soul instead of mine, although the demon closed all of my tenketsu in retribution." Tsunade just stared at the mess his inner coils system had become. Both youki and chakra chaotically battled one another inside his body, each warring for supremacy. If his system wasn't sealed off, his body would be vaporized almost instantly…

Then her eyes were drawn to the seal on his stomach. _'Maybe… That should work.'_ She deactivated her diagnostic jutsu and stepped back. "I may have a solution, but it'll put you out of commission for at least a month."

"What is it?" He looked at her as he sat up.

Tsunade shifted uncomfortably. "It's possible to speed up the job of your seal, and make it convert all the youki in your system to your own chakra. Your tenketsu should open on their own, then, if it works. If it doesn't… You'll never be a ninja again." Yume just laughed bitterly, looking at her with sad eyes.

"It's not like I have anything to lose, kaa-chan. Besides… I trust you with my life, so I'm not that worried about it." He nonchalantly waved his hand as he redressed himself. "If it's a medical jutsu and it's possible, you can do it no problem." She blushed slightly and felt a swelling of pride at her adopted son's words. "Now let's get out of here, I _hate_ this room!" He looked up at the sky as they walked outside in time to see the descending form of a raven. Holding an arm up, the bird landed on it and dropped the envelope into his hand.

"Message. Dragon boy. Question. Caw!" Yume snatched a glob of raw meat out of a pouch around his waist and held it out to the raven who greedily gobbled it up before vanishing in a plume of smoke. He tore the envelope open and flipped out a letter.

_Flash-sensei,_

_Everyone's fine, although we've had some difficulty. We encountered the Mist Demon Brothers right outside of Konoha (although they've surely been picked up by the time this reaches you), and also Momochi Zabuza once we got to Wave Country. He was killed, but something didn't feel right about his death, so I'm not sure._

_We ran into an old friend of Icy's from Mist Country. Her name's Kiyuwaa Nalaa, and she's got an ice dragoness in her called Makuha. Dobe's convinced you can let her come home, but I thought it best to ask you first. Please let us know either way. _

_Firebug_

_P.S.: Hime keeps telling me how important Nalaa's clan is. Don't really care._

**_P.P.S.: I'M NOT A DOBE! – Flash Jr._**

The second post-script was hastily scrawled on in Naruto's chicken-scratch handwriting that closely resembled Yume's own. _'Good, so Sasuke already has a concept of code. I'm _'Flash-sensei'_, and I'll have to either smack him or compliment him for his choice of a nickname, _'Icy'_ must be Haku, _'Dobe' _and_ 'Flash Jr.'_ are Naruto, _'Firebug'_ must be Sasuke and _'Hime'_ is probably Hinata. As for the friend… Awayuki Alana, huh? And Hakuma…'_ (1) He walked to his study and quickly wrote a reply before withdrawing a tiny scroll from his breast pocket and opening it. One poof of smoke later, Kin stood before him on the desk.

"Hihi Yume-sama!" he squeaked cheerfully. "Something you needwant?"

Yume rolled up the piece of paper so it was small before handing it to the diminutive bird. "Can you take this to Sasuke? He's in Wave Country. You know where that is, right?"

"Yepyep!" Kin boasted as he saluted with one wing. "It wayacross big bluewet thing! Me carrytake to dragonboy or goodfriend as fastfast as I can quickfly!" He hopped on top of the message and secured it in his talons before shooting out the window like the hyper blur he was.

"… That bird is the only thing that's more hyper than my son." the previous Hokage mused as he ambled down to the den to entertain another of Tsunade's attempts to beat him at some kind of gambling game. He'd humor her. His mother was scary when she lost, but even scarier when she was ignored. He'd convince Sarutobi to let the girl safely come to Konoha. After all, she was an orphan too, and he'd always had a soft spot for other kids without parents.

* * *

Sakura sat down at the table the next morning, being the first to rise. She was usually a morning person, except for a few days when she felt lazy and slept in. She greeted Tsunami cheerfully and saw that Ino, Shino and Alana were already awake and sitting at the table. "Good morning, Alana, Shino… Ino." Sakura politely said, not wanting to start the day off on a sour note.

"Good morning yourself, forehead-girl." Well, screw that idea.

"Pig!" she hissed, trying to keep her voice down for the sake of her sleeping teammates.

Alana felt a sweatdrop move down the back of her head at the other girls' antics. "Good morning, Sakura, did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did, actually." Any further conversation was cut off by a high-pitched squeal.

"AAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!"

SPLAT.

And when everyone's brains had sufficiently caught up to speed, Kin was shaking Sakura's breakfast off of himself as he stood up to his tiny full height on her plate. "Ickyuck! Brightwhite stuff on featherwings means no quickfly!"

"… Kin?" the pink-haired girl asked as she picked the small bird out of her bowl. He looked up and his eyes sparkled.

"Bigwings!" he squeaked as he hopped up onto her shoulder and nuzzled his head against her neck. "I searchfound you!"

Sakura just giggled as his feathers tickled her. "K-Kin, do you have a message?" He stood up straight and held out a folded-up piece of paper with one foot while he clutched her shirt with the other.

"Yepyep! I quickflew as fastfast as I could! I didn't sureknow which groundnest you were in so I just kept keeptrying until my featherwings got soggywet and I crashsplatted into the ickyucky brightwhite stuff!" He looked over her shoulder and made a tiny gasp. "Bigwings' bigwings are allgone! This badsad! Now bigwings can't highfly anymore!" he ended his statement with a tiny wail.

She shushed him as quickly as she could, pinching his beak shut. She did NOT need him blabbing her secret out all over the place, especially out of Konoha. "Ssshhh! Kin, don't wake the others!" He merely sniffled and looked at her pitifully. "Hey Kin, I bet if you go back you can have some food back home, huh?" Sakura mentally crossed her fingers as she took the message from his talon.

"YAY! Natsumi-goodcook's food is yumtasty! Byelater bigwings!" And with that, the day was temporarily saved thanks to the bird's five-second attention span. Kin shook out his wings, sending oatmeal everywhere, until they were reasonably dry and he shot out the window in search of food.

Ino wiped a glob of oatmeal from her forehead as Kurenai stared at the window the hyperactive bird had exited from. "Sakura… What was that?" the jounin asked.

"Erm… A messenger bird? From home." she nervously answered. Her green eyes refused to meet anyone else's, constantly shifting around the room. "He belongs to… a good friend of mine! Yeah, he was just worried about me and sent the bird to, um, check on me." Kurenai nodded slightly, and let the issue drop for now. She'd get the truth from Sandaime-sama once they were back in the village.

Unfortunately for Sakura, Ino was far more inquisitive. "Why'd it call you 'bigwings?'" the long-haired blonde asked. Fortunately, Alana came to her defense.

"Let it drop, Yamanaka-san. If it was important, I'm sure Sakura-san would tell you." Sakura let out a sigh of relief as Ino humphed and looked back down at her food. Unfolding the note, Sakura read the contents.

_Bubblegum_

_I'll stick with the code Firebug used in his last letter. I'm addressing it to you, because odds are he won't be awake yet when this reaches you kids._

_First of all, based on what Firebug told me of your encounter with Momochi, I agree with him. Something's definitely fishy about it. I wouldn't be surprised if he was only put in a deathlike state by those three hunter-nins, who are probably his accomplices. Keep a sharp eye out, and never let your guard down._

_Second, I'm happy to let you know that Nalaa is more than welcome here. I'll sort somethin' out with the old man and she'll be ready to go as one of ours in no time. And please let her know that her 'friend' Makuha doesn't bother me in the least._

_I guess that's about it. Tell Firebug congratulations on his summon, it made it here fine. And PLEASE tell Junior to behave, and I give you permission to make sure that he does. Give Hime, Icy, and Nalaa my regards._

_Prankfully yours,_

_Flash_

_P.S. Kin landed in your food, didn't he? And you should be expecting the boys to join you soon. Mwehehehehehehe… _(A cutely drawn chibi version of Yume's face with horns is inserted here, demonic grin included.)

_P.P.S.: Bubblegum dear, make sure you and the other children eat enough! And don't stay up too late, it's bad for you! – Housewife._

She blinked at the first postscript until Naruto suddenly started screaming bloody murder and ran past the doorway of the dining room, en route to the bathroom. It took a moment to register that his mouth had something red inside and steam was coming from his ears. Sasuke and Haku stumbled in soon after that, awakened by their teammate's screeching. "The hell happened to dobe…?" Sasuke muttered. Sakura calmly handed him the letter, and once he read the postscript he banged his head on the table once. Ino gasped at his behavior, and Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. "What, Ino?"

"Yah don'th have yah cold bathtard mathk on, bathtard." Naruto lisped as he came into the room nursing his tongue. At their stares, he grinned sheepishly. "Thumone poured loth ah currah powdah in mah mouth."

'_Oh.'_ was the simultaneous thought of all the occupants of the room. Hinata rushed over from behind him and placed her hands on his cheeks timidly, healing energy flowing from her hands to his abused tongue. Soon it was back to normal, and Naruto loudly praised her and hugged her, causing yet another mental shutdown on the part of the poor girl.

**("… Girl… we've got to work on that…")** Same muttered as she sighed heavily. She couldn't have her vessel faint every time he hugged her, for Kami's sake. How would they have _fun_ if she blacked out when she was touched by him?

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The next week seemed to drag on for the vessels. Kurenai had brought them into the woods to teach them how to climb trees using chakra. She'd been shocked to discover that five of the eight kids already knew it. However, she resigned herself to the fact that she couldn't really teach them, and instead taught Ino, Shino and Alana, who had to relearn it. It turned out that she wasn't used to doing it on deciduous trees, much less thawed ones instead of the frozen ones she was used to from her native village. Haku stayed behind and helped her, while the other vessels took turns with guard duty. Two of them would stay at the house and guard Tsunami, Inari, and the recovering Kakashi, while the other two would accompany Tazuna to the bridge and help with construction while they protected him. On the last day, Kurenai, Ino, Shino, Alana, and Haku returned to the house before dinner, the three who were learning to climb exhausted. Ino was scowling, Shino looked ruffled, but Alana had a tired smile on her face.

"I made it to the top!" she excitedly said as she sat down beside Sakura, Haku seating himself on her opposite side.

Sakura smiled and hugged her new friend happily. "Oh that's awesome! I knew you could do it!" Ino scowled and looked away angrily. Shino had only gotten three-fourths of the way up his tree, and she'd managed almost to the top. She was still mad, though, for two reasons. One, this new girl, which she didn't trust yet, had progressed faster than her, and secondly, she had befriended Sakura. Part of her still wanted to be the pink-haired girl's friend, but that part was always silenced by her knowledge that they were doomed to be rivals until Sasuke chose her and left Sakura in the cold. After all, they were obviously meant for one another.

"You're an idiot."

"SHUT UP! IT'S NOT MY FAULT THE CEMENT WAS WET!"

"And that made you fall off of the bridge… how?"

"WHO ASKED YOU YOU BASTARD!" The boys' argument was audible even through the door as they approached the house. Tazuna slid the door open with a grin on his face as Sasuke and a damp Naruto entered after him. Well, one thing was for sure. Life certainly was more eventful with the blonde and his friends around.

* * *

"Shiro…" Zabuza's gravelly voice rang out from the safe room. The feminine ninja from earlier instantly appeared by his side.

"What is it, Zabuza-sama?"

The ex-mist jounin snorted. "I'm almost back to full health… We should be able to attack tomorrow. Are you going to be able to follow through…?"

"Do not worry, Zabuza-sama." Hana Shiro cut him off as he removed his mask, revealing an older version of Haku's. "Any feelings about my dear little cousin will not interfere with carrying out your will. I am anxious, however, to see how far his skills have progressed with no tutelage."

Zabuza smirked from under his bandages. "And what about you two…" he said as he turned to face the pair standing on his other side. "Kuro, Kage?" The two ninja bowed as one.

"We will never-"

"Fail Zabuza-sama. We-"

"Will fight to the death-"

"For his ideals." The Koori twins spoke in their odd, halting way, going back and forth between the two of them.

Zabuza's eye gleamed. "You're all worthy tools. Tomorrow, we will strike at the bridge and eliminate Tazuna-san and any of his foolish little bodyguards that are there. Be ready old man… ready to see death!"

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(1) I spelled her name backwards, the way it would be if it was written in japanese. A-wa-yu-ki A-la-na becomes Ki-yu-wa-a Na-la-a, see?

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Okay people! Review response time!

**Dragon Man 180** – Heheh. Glad you liked the fight. I'm not sure about Naruto's tails, I'll have to decide later. And don't worry, the vessels take off their bracelets in the next chapter.

**Gelionlegends** – Not the sound-nin Kin. I keep talking about Yume's hummingbird messenger, whom I decided to name Kin as well because it sounded right.

**naruhina1** – Thank you. Naruto won't get to nine tails as far as I know, his human body limits the number of tails he can have to one.

**Damon Rhodes** – Thanks buddy. Glad to have another college person who understands the torture.

**Scorpio V1.2** – Thanks for your suggestion. I'm working on the emotion thing, I was just a little rushed to get the chapter out. Plus, Hanabi's a little kid, their emotions are all over the place anyway.

**Coco Cow** – I'm glad you like him. His way of speaking is SO hard to write though.

**RLnaruhina** – "Bride"…? Argh… Thanks for pointing it out. And the Kin I keep referring to is the hummingbird, not the female ninja, so it _is_ a he.

**kawaiineziumi** – Does this answer your question about Zabuza?

**Dagorwen of Beleriand** – See chapter 13, towards the end. I gave her the Falcon contract as well.

**GreatMarta** – Hehehe, I'm glad you approve. And yes, Ino IS going to be driven insane. And I don't care if you use my names, they're not all that original. I'll never abandon this story until I finish it, so don't you worry.

**ThE pIe MaN** – A fiery Rasengan, eh? I'll think about it, he still needs to learn how to do the attack normally first.

**Facading** – I'm glad you guys like the Japanese names, I put some effort into getting a close translation for them.

**neodanmatter** – They just severely underestimated the genin.

**ShinjucAt** – Naruto just has a contract with foxes because he and his father are the only people to have ever gotten one (this will be explained later). Sakura's wings are large compared to her, so they're designed for power and stamina, but she can get a huge burst of speed by diving from a height.

**Infinite Freedom** - … That was the most random review I've ever gotten.

**Anime Insaniac** – Actually, Haku's going to be paired up with Alana. So there will be some minor ShikaIno.

**mechman123** – I'm glad you like the story now, your first review had me worried.

**Sakura-Girl 2005** – I'm glad you gave me a chance. The village will find out about him after the chuunin exams.

**Dragon Noir** – Yes, don't you worry, both councils will get theirs by the end of the story. Naruto's a little more buffed up now, yes, but just think about this: take Naruto's stamina and multiply it by at least four. And Yume helped all the kids who got fangs learn to get used to them. I'm glad you liked the fights. Sakura will fix the fangirl problem soon, so just wait for it. As for your suggestions, I'll definitely look at them again.

**hells-fox, supercrazyinsanemonkeyman** (MAN your username is long!)**, Lady-Frisselle, GirlWaterShaman, zornoid13, warprince2000, Mrs.Uchiha, Kirin Kage the Shadow Girl, SoulShine, anti-thule, drunkdragon, Stylish-Angel, DeathAngel-Lavenda, fluffypup, Sir Graq, Kitsune of Life and Death, and anyone else I forgot** – THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

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**PREVIEW OF NEXT TIME!**

"**_MOVE, SASUKE!" Sasuke was brutally shoved out of the way, and looked up in time to see Naruto's body slump to the ground, not moving once it was down. The icicle coming out of his chest, right where his heart was, made it clear what had just happened._**

**_Sasuke crawled over with a horrible feeling in his stomach. "Naruto…? C'mon, Naruto, that wasn't funny! Wake up!" He shook the boy, and he limply flopped. "Naruto…? Please…" his voice broke as the blonde didn't respond._**

"_**An honorable-"**_

"_**Death. Was this-"**_

"_**The first friend-"**_

"_**You have seen die?" His opponents mocked him as the raven haired boy trembled.**_

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"_**No… I…" Sasuke fought the memories back as his Sharingan stared down at his friend's body. "He… He was… my best friend… and I…" If he'd have just listened to Naruto and moved. He'd taken a hit meant for him. His own ignorance had killed his best friend… his brother. "It's all my fault…" he whispered. His eyes exploded into agony as blood leaked from the corners of his eyes. The twin ninja stepped back in shock as the crimson drops ran down the boy's cheeks.**_

"_**What is-"**_

"**_Happening to him?" Sasuke's body shuddered as his optic nerves disconnected and rewired themselves, his vision blurring before sharpening to a detail he'd never seen before. He glared up at the ninjas in front of him. His three comma-marks in his Sharingan quickly spun together before fusing into one large ring in the middle of his eye with three prongs coming off of it._**

_**Mangekyou Sharingan. Combined with the blood streamed down his cheeks, Sasuke looked like an avatar of death. Green chakra wound its way around his body as both the demon's and the boy's thought patterns were identical for the first time. **KILL. **Spikes jutted a good six inches from the plates on Sasuke's back, sticking through his shirt as his canine teeth elongated into fangs. His nails turned into claws as the demonic energy flooded his system completely, changing his red Mangekyou to green. Only one thought went through both of the twins' minds as the crazed boy charged them at speed unheard of for a genin.**_

'**Oh shit…'**


End file.
